U.S. patent application number 17/707135 was filed with the patent office on 2022-07-14 for control method for goods retrievement and storage, apparatus, carrying apparatus, and transport robot.
This patent application is currently assigned to HAI ROBOTICS CO., LTD.. The applicant listed for this patent is HAI ROBOTICS CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Jiawei HE, Zhe KONG, Qingxin ZHAN, Ying ZHAO, Ruiqun ZHENG.
Application Number | 20220219902 17/707135 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000006287032 |
Filed Date | 2022-07-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220219902 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
ZHENG; Ruiqun ; et
al. |
July 14, 2022 |
CONTROL METHOD FOR GOODS RETRIEVEMENT AND STORAGE, APPARATUS,
CARRYING APPARATUS, AND TRANSPORT ROBOT
Abstract
The present disclosure provides a control method for goods
retrievement and storage, a control apparatus, and a transport
robot. The control method for goods retrievement includes:
receiving a retrievement instruction, and acquiring locating
information of target goods according to the retrievement
instruction; moving a transport robot to a target position
according to the locating information; obtaining status information
of the target goods and/or position relationship information
between a carrying apparatus and the target goods; and adjusting a
position and posture of the carrying apparatus according to the
status information and/or the position relationship information,
and causing the carrying apparatus to take out the target goods.
According to the present disclosure, the position of the target
goods can be accurately determined by obtaining status information
of the target goods and/or position relationship information
between the carrying apparatus and the target goods, so that the
target goods can be accurately retrieved.
Inventors: |
ZHENG; Ruiqun; (Shenzhen,
CN) ; KONG; Zhe; (Shenzhen, CN) ; ZHAO;
Ying; (Shenzhen, CN) ; HE; Jiawei; (Shenzhen,
CN) ; ZHAN; Qingxin; (Shenzhen, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
HAI ROBOTICS CO., LTD. |
Shenzehn |
|
CN |
|
|
Assignee: |
HAI ROBOTICS CO., LTD.
Shenzhen
CN
|
Family ID: |
1000006287032 |
Appl. No.: |
17/707135 |
Filed: |
March 29, 2022 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
PCT/CN2020/119651 |
Sep 30, 2020 |
|
|
|
17707135 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G05D 1/0212 20130101;
G05D 2201/0216 20130101; G05D 1/0246 20130101; B65G 2203/041
20130101; G06T 7/60 20130101; G06T 7/70 20170101; B65G 1/137
20130101; B65G 2203/0283 20130101; B65G 2203/0233 20130101; G06T
2207/30252 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B65G 1/137 20060101
B65G001/137; G05D 1/02 20060101 G05D001/02; G06T 7/60 20060101
G06T007/60; G06T 7/70 20060101 G06T007/70 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Sep 30, 2019 |
CN |
201921662771.1 |
Jan 21, 2020 |
CN |
202010068990.8 |
Jan 21, 2020 |
CN |
202010069012.5 |
Jan 21, 2020 |
CN |
202020141209.0 |
Jan 21, 2020 |
CN |
202020142100.9 |
Claims
1. A control method for goods retrievement, applicable to a
transport robot, wherein the transport robot is provided with a
carrying apparatus configured to take out goods, and the method
comprises: receiving a retrievement instruction, and acquiring
locating information of target goods according to the retrievement
instruction; moving the transport robot to a target position
according to the locating information; obtaining status information
of the target goods and/or position relationship information
between the carrying apparatus and the target goods, wherein the
status information of the target goods comprises size information
of the target goods and/or posture information of the target goods;
and adjusting a position and posture of the carrying apparatus
according to the status information and/or the position
relationship information, and causing the carrying apparatus to
take out the target goods, wherein the obtaining status information
of the target goods and/or position relationship information
between the carrying apparatus and the target goods comprises:
acquiring, by the transport robot, three-dimensional imaging
information of the target goods; and acquiring the posture
information of the target goods and/or the position relationship
information between the carrying apparatus and the target goods
according to the three-dimensional imaging information; and the
adjusting a position and posture of the carrying apparatus
according to the status information and/or the position
relationship information, and causing the carrying apparatus to
take out the target goods comprises: adjusting the position and
posture of the carrying apparatus according to the position
relationship information and/or the posture information, and
causing the carrying apparatus to take out the target goods in the
adjusted position and posture.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the posture information
of the target goods comprises the size information of target goods;
and the position relationship information between the carrying
apparatus and the target goods comprises: a deviation between the
carrying apparatus and the target goods in a traveling direction of
the transport robot, a relative distance between the carrying
apparatus and the target goods in a taken-out direction of the
carrying apparatus, and/or an angle at which the target goods are
placed relative to the carrying apparatus.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the carrying apparatus
is provided with a three-dimensional imaging information
acquisition module; and the acquiring the posture information of
the target goods and/or the position relationship information
between the carrying apparatus and the target goods comprises:
obtaining the posture information of the target goods and/or the
position relationship information between the carrying apparatus
and the target goods based on an operation of the three-dimensional
imaging information acquisition module on the target goods.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the carrying apparatus
has a telescopic arm, and the causing the carrying apparatus to
take out the target goods in the adjusted position and posture
comprises: determining a extension depth of the carrying apparatus;
and causing the telescopic arm to extend out by the extension depth
in the adjusted position and posture, wherein the extension depth
is equal to a sum of the relative distance between the carrying
apparatus and the target goods in the taken-out direction of the
carrying apparatus and a predetermined percentage of a largest one
of sizes of all to-be-retrieved goods in the taken-out direction;
or the extension depth is equal to a preset maximum extension
size.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting the
position and posture of the carrying apparatus according to the
position relationship information and the posture information
comprises: aligning a specific position of the transport robot to a
specific position of the target goods by performing at least one of
the following: driving a chassis of the transport robot, raising or
lowering the carrying apparatus, or rotating the carrying
apparatus, wherein the carrying apparatus has a pair of telescopic
arms, and the adjusting the position and posture of the carrying
apparatus further comprises: adjusting a spacing between the pair
of telescopic arms to adapt to a size of the target goods, wherein
the posture information comprises a size of the target goods; and
before the adjusting the position and posture of the carrying
apparatus according to the position relationship information and
the posture information, the method comprises: determining whether
the target goods exist; and determining whether a size of the
target goods is within a size range that the carrying apparatus can
take out if the target goods exist, wherein before the causing the
carrying apparatus to take out the target goods in the adjusted
position and posture, the method comprises: determining whether the
carrying apparatus will collide with a shelving unit when
retrieving the goods, wherein the moving the transport robot to a
target position comprises: moving the chassis of the transport
robot to the target position, and then raising or lowering the
carrying apparatus to a target shelving unit height and/or rotating
the carrying apparatus to a target direction; or moving a chassis
of the transport robot to the target position, and raising or
lowering the carrying apparatus to a target height and/or rotating
the carrying apparatus to a target direction during the movement of
the chassis of the transport robot.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transport robot has
a chassis and the carrying apparatus supported on the chassis and
configured to take out the goods, and the carrying apparatus has a
first arm portion and a second arm portion and is configured to
place the goods between the first arm portion and the second arm
portion when retrieving the goods; the obtaining status information
of the target goods and/or position relationship information
between the carrying apparatus and the target goods comprises:
obtaining the size information of the target goods and the position
relationship information between the carrying apparatus and the
target goods; and the adjusting a position and posture of the
carrying apparatus according to the status information and/or the
position relationship information, and causing the carrying
apparatus to take out the target goods comprises: adjusting the
position and posture of the carrying apparatus according to the
position relationship information and the size information of the
target goods, wherein the adjustment comprises at least adjusting a
spacing between the first arm portion and the second arm portion to
adapt to a size of the target goods; and causing the first arm
portion and the second arm portion to take out the target goods at
the adjusted spacing.
7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the moving the
transport robot to a target position according to the locating
information, the position relationship information, and the size
information of the target goods, and adjusting the position and
posture of the carrying apparatus comprises: moving the transport
robot to the target position according to the locating information;
and adjusting the position and posture of the carrying apparatus
according to the position relationship information and the size
information of the target goods.
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the obtaining the size
information of the target goods comprises at least one of the
following: obtaining the size information of the target goods from
an external management system of the transport robot; and obtaining
the size information of the target goods based on sensing of the
target goods by the transport robot, wherein the obtaining the size
information of the target goods comprises at least one of the
following: obtaining the size information of the target goods from
the retrievement instruction; obtaining the size information of the
target goods based on a preset identifier on the target goods; and
obtaining the size information of the target goods by causing the
transport robot to acquire image information of the target
goods.
9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the first arm portion
is a movable arm portion, the second arm portion is a fixed arm
portion, and the adjusting a spacing between the first arm portion
and the second arm portion is achieved by moving the first arm
portion; or the first arm portion and the second arm portion are
both movable arm portions, and the adjusting a spacing between the
first arm portion and the second arm portion is achieved by
simultaneously or successively moving the first arm portion and the
second arm portion, wherein the carrying apparatus or the transport
robot further has at least one sensing apparatus; the obtaining
position relationship information between the transport robot and
the target goods comprises: obtaining the position relationship
information between the transport robot and the target goods based
on first sensed information obtained by the at least one sensing
apparatus by performing an operation on the preset identifier; and
the obtaining the size information of the target goods comprises:
obtaining the size information of the target goods based on second
sensed information obtained by the at least one sensing apparatus
by performing an operation on the target goods.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the carrying apparatus
or the transport robot has two sensing apparatuses, one of the
sensing apparatuses is a two-dimensional camera, an other of the
sensing apparatuses is a three-dimensional camera, the first sensed
information is obtained by the two-dimensional camera, and the
second sensed information is obtained by the three-dimensional
camera, wherein the preset identifier is a goods identifier on the
target goods or a shelving unit identifier of a shelving unit where
the target goods is stored.
11. The method according to claim 6, wherein the obtaining the size
information of the target goods comprises: obtaining the size
information of the target goods by causing the transport robot to
acquire image information of the target goods; the causing the
first arm portion and the second arm portion to take out the target
goods at the adjusted spacing comprises: causing the first arm
portion and the second arm portion to extend to a position allowing
one of all to-be-retrieved goods having a largest size in a
taken-out direction to be taken out or causing the first arm
portion and the second arm portion to extend by a preset maximum
extension size, to take out the target goods at the adjusted
spacing, wherein the obtaining the size information of the target
goods comprises: obtaining the size information of the target goods
from an external management system of the transport robot; the
obtaining position relationship information between the carrying
apparatus and the target goods comprises: obtaining the position
relationship information between the carrying apparatus and the
target goods based on a preset identifier on the target goods; and
the moving the transport robot to the target position according to
the locating information, the position relationship information,
and the size information of the target goods, and adjusting the
position and posture of the carrying apparatus comprises: moving
the chassis of the transport robot to the target position according
to the locating information and the size information of the target
goods, adjusting the spacing between the first arm portion and the
second arm portion according to the size information of the target
goods during the movement of the chassis or after the chassis is
moved to the target position, and adjusting the position and
posture of the carrying apparatus according to the position
relationship information between the carrying apparatus and the
target goods obtained based on the preset identifier on the target
goods, wherein the carrying apparatus or the transport robot
further has at least one sensing apparatus; the moving the
transport robot to the target position comprises: moving the
chassis of the transport robot to the target position, and
adjusting the spacing between the first arm portion and the second
arm portion according to prestored size information of the target
goods obtained from an external management system of the transport
robot; the obtaining the size information of the target goods
comprises: obtaining actual size information of the target goods by
causing the transport robot to acquire three-dimensional imaging
information of the target goods; and the adjusting the position and
posture of the carrying apparatus comprises: determining whether
the actual size information of the target goods is same as the
prestored size information of the target goods, and if not,
readjusting the spacing between the first arm portion and the
second arm portion according to the actual size information.
12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the carrying
apparatus or the transport robot has two sensing apparatuses, one
of the sensing apparatuses is a two-dimensional camera, an other of
the sensing apparatuses is a three-dimensional camera, the first
sensed information is obtained by the two-dimensional camera, and
the second sensed information is obtained by the three-dimensional
camera.
13. The method according to claim 6, wherein before the obtaining
position relationship information between the carrying apparatus
and the target goods, the method further comprises: determining
whether the target goods exist; and determining whether a size of
the target goods is within a size range that the carrying apparatus
can take out if the target goods exist, wherein the adjusting the
position and posture of the carrying apparatus further comprises:
aligning a specific position of the transport robot to a specific
position of the preset identifier on the target goods or aligning
the specific position of the transport robot to the specific
position of the target goods by performing at least one of the
following: driving the chassis of the transport robot, raising or
lowering the carrying apparatus, or rotating the carrying
apparatus, wherein the adjusting the position and posture of the
carrying apparatus comprises: aligning a specific position between
the first arm portion and the second arm portion to a specific
position of the target goods by performing at least one of the
following: driving the chassis of the transport robot, raising or
lowering the carrying apparatus, or rotating the carrying
apparatus, and simultaneously or successively adjusting the first
arm portion and the second arm portion, to cause the spacing
between the first arm portion and the second arm portion to adapt
to the size of the target goods; or causing the first arm portion
and one side edge of the target goods to satisfy a corresponding
preset position relationship by performing at least one of the
following: driving the chassis of the transport robot, raising or
lowering the carrying apparatus, or rotating the carrying
apparatus, and causing the second arm portion and an other side
edge of the target goods to satisfy the corresponding preset
position relationship by adjusting the second arm portion.
14. The method according to claim 6, wherein the moving the
transport robot to the target position comprises: moving the
chassis of the transport robot to the target position, and then
raising or lowering the carrying apparatus to a target shelving
unit height and/or rotating the carrying apparatus to a target
direction; or moving a chassis of the transport robot to the target
position, and raising or lowering the carrying apparatus to a
target height and/or rotating the carrying apparatus to a target
direction during the movement of the chassis of the transport
robot.
15. The method according to claim 6, wherein the causing the first
arm portion and the second arm portion to take out the target goods
at the adjusted spacing comprises: determining, by using a sensor
disposed on the first arm portion or the second arm portion or
sensors disposed on the first arm portion and the second arm
portion, whether the first arm portion and/or the second arm
portion will collide with the target goods during the goods
retrievement by the first arm portion and the second arm portion,
if so, aborting or terminating the retrievement task, and if not,
retrieving the goods.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.
120 of international patent application No. PCT/CN2020/119651 filed
on Sep. 30, 2020, which claims priority to Chinese Patent
Application No. 202010068990.8 filed on Jan. 21, 2020, Chinese
Patent Application No. 202010069012.5 filed on Jan. 21, 2020,
Chinese Utility Model Patent Application No. 202020141209.0 filed
on Jan. 21, 2020, Chinese Utility Model Patent Application No.
202020142100.9 filed on Jan. 21, 2020, and Chinese Utility Model
Patent Application No. 201921662771.1 filed on Sep. 30, 2019, which
are incoiporated herein by reference in their entireties.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of
intelligent storage, and in particular, to a control method for
goods retrievement and storage, an apparatus, a carrying apparatus,
and a transport robot.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Intelligent storage is a step in the logistics process. The
application of intelligent storage ensures the speed and accuracy
of data input in all steps of warehouse management, so as to ensure
that enterprises can grasp the real data of the inventory timely
and accurately, and properly maintain and control the enterprise
inventory. In this way, batches and shelf life of warehouse goods
can be conveniently managed by means of scientific coding. By using
the storage location management function of the SNHGES system,
current locations of all warehouse goods can be grasped more
timely, which is conducive to improving the efficiency of warehouse
management.
[0004] The transport robot plays an important role in the
intelligent warehousing. The transport robot replaces the manual
transfer of goods, but the existing transport robot needs to label
the container in advance before retrieving the container from the
shelving unit, such as a two-dimensional code, a radio frequency
identification tag, and the like. The transport robot determines,
by using the label attached to the container, an orientation of the
container, but the process of labeling the container is very
tedious.
SUMMARY
[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a control
method for goods retrievement and storage, a control apparatus, and
a transport robot. In this way, a tedious labeling process is
avoided, and the operation efficiency of the transport robot is
improved.
[0006] According to a first aspect, the present disclosure provides
a control method for goods retrievement, applicable to a transport
robot. The transport robot is provided with a carrying apparatus
configured to take out goods. The method includes:
[0007] receiving a retrievement instruction, and acquiring locating
information of target goods according to the retrievement
instruction;
[0008] moving, a transport robot to a target position according to
the locating information;
[0009] obtaining status information of the target goods and/or
position relationship information between the carrying apparatus
and the target goods, where the status information of the target
goods includes size information of the target goods and/or posture
information of the target goods; and
[0010] adjusting a position and posture of the carrying apparatus
according to the status information and/or the position
relationship information, and causing the carrying apparatus to
take out the target goods.
[0011] According to a second aspect, the present disclosure
provides a control method for goods storage, applicable to a
transport robot. The transport robot is provided with a carrying
apparatus configured to take out goods. The method includes:
[0012] receiving a storage instruction, and obtaining locating
informatioi of target goods according to the storage
instruction;
[0013] moving a transport robot to a target position according to
the locating information;
[0014] causing the transport robot to collect three-dimensional
imaging information based on the target position;
[0015] determining, according to the three-dimensional imaging
information, whether a container exists on a shelving unit; and
[0016] causing, the carrying apparatus to place the target goods on
the shelving unit if no container exists.
[0017] According to a third aspect, the present disclosure provides
a control apparatus, including:
[0018] at least one processor; and
[0019] a memory, communicatively connected to the at least one
processor, the memory storing executable code, the executable code,
when executed by the at least one processor, causing the at least
one processor to perform the methods in the first aspect and the
second aspect.
[0020] According to a fourth aspect, the present disclosure
provides a transport robot. The transport robot includes a mobile
chassis, a carrying apparatus, a storage shelving rack, a lifting
assembly, and the control apparatus in the third aspect. The
storage shelving rack is mounted to the mobile chassis and is
provided with a plurality of storage trays distributed along a
vertical direction. Each of the storage trays is configured to
place goods. The carrying apparatus is configured to transfer the
goods between a stationary shelving unit and any of the storage
trays, and the lifting assembly is configured to drive the carrying
apparatus to move along the vertical direction, to cause the
carrying apparatus to be raised or lowered to a height
corresponding to the storage tray or a height of the stationary
shelving unit. When the carrying apparatus is raised or lowered to
the height corresponding to the storage tray, the carrying
apparatus moves the goods to the corresponding storage tray along a
transfer direction, or the carrying apparatus moves the goods
located on the corresponding storage tray out along the transfer
direction. When the carrying apparatus is raised or lowered to the
height corresponding to the stationary shelving unit, the carrying
apparatus moves the goods to the corresponding stationary shelving
unit along the transfer direction, or the carrying apparatus moves
the goods located on the corresponding stationary shelving unit out
along the transfer direction.
[0021] According to a fifth aspect, the present disclosure provides
a carrying apparatus, including:
[0022] a fork, configured to take out goods; and
[0023] a three-dimensional imaging information acquisition module,
mounted to the fork and configured to acquire three-dimensional
imaging information of the goods, to determine a position of the
goods.
[0024] According to a sixth aspect, the present disclosure provides
a transport robot, including the carrying apparatus in the fifth
aspect.
[0025] According to a seventh aspect, the present disclosure
provides a control apparatus, including:
[0026] at least one processor; and
[0027] a memory, communicatively connected to the at least one
processor, the memory storing executable code, the executable code,
when executed by the at least one processor, causing the at least
one processor to perform the method in the first aspect.
[0028] According to an eighth aspect, the present disclosure
provides a transport robot. The transport robot includes a mobile
chassis, a carrying apparatus, a storage shelving rack, a lifting
assembly, and the control apparatus in the seventh aspect. The
storage shelving rack is mounted to the mobile chassis and is
provided with a plurality of storage trays distributed along a
vertical direction. Each of the storage trays is configured to
place goods. The carrying apparatus is configured to transfer the
goods between a stationary shelving unit and any of the storage
trays, and the lifting assembly is configured to drive the carrying
apparatus to move along the vertical direction, to cause the
carrying apparatus to be raised or lowered to a height
corresponding to the storage tray or a height of the stationary
shelving unit. When the carrying apparatus is raised or lowered to
the height corresponding to the storage tray the carrying apparatus
moves the goods to the corresponding storage tray along a transfer
direction, or the carrying apparatus moves the goods located on the
corresponding storage tray out along the transfer direction. When
the carrying apparatus is raised or lowered to the height
corresponding to the stationary shelving unit, the carrying
apparatus moves the goods to the corresponding stationary shelving
unit along the transfer direction, or the carrying apparatus moves
the goods located on the corresponding stationary shelving unit out
along the transfer direction.
[0029] According to a ninth aspect, the present disclosure provides
a carrying apparatus, configured to convey goods along a transfer
direction, and including:
[0030] a support frame, extending along a direction perpendicular
to the transfer direction in a horizontal plane;
[0031] two side arms, respectively disposed on two ends of the
support frame in an extending direction, where the two side arms
extend along the transfer direction, and at least one of the side
arms is movably disposed on the support frame along the extending
direction of the support frame; and
[0032] a transverse driving assembly, drivingly connected to the at
least one of the side arms and configured to drive the at least one
of the side arms to move along the extending direction of the
support frame, to cause the two side arms to move close to or away
from each other along the extending direction of the support frame,
so that the two side arms adapt to a size of the carried goods when
moving close to each other along the extending direction of the
support frame.
[0033] According to a tenth aspect, the present disclosure provides
a transport robot. The transport robot includes a mobile chassis, a
storage shelving rack, a lifting assembly, and the carrying
apparatus in the ninth aspect. The storage shelving rack is mounted
to the mobile chassis and is provided with a plurality of storage
trays distributed along a vertical direction. Each of the storage
trays is configured to place goods. The carrying apparatus is
configured to transfer the goods between a stationary shelving unit
and any of the storage trays, and the lifting assembly is
configured to drive the carrying apparatus to move along the
vertical direction, to cause the carrying apparatus to be raised or
lowered to a height corresponding to the storage tray or a height
of the stationary shelving unit. When the carrying apparatus is
raised or lowered to the height corresponding to the storage tray,
the carrying apparatus pushes the goods to the corresponding
storage tray along a transfer direction, or the carrying apparatus
pulls the goods located on the corresponding storage tray out along
the transfer direction. When the carrying apparatus is raised or
lowered to the height corresponding to the stationary shelving
unit, the carrying apparatus pushes the goods to the corresponding
stationary shelving unit along the transfer direction, or the
carrying apparatus pulls the goods located on the corresponding
stationary shelving unit out along the transfer direction.
[0034] According to the control method for goods retrievement and
storage, the control apparatus, and the transport robot provided in
the embodiments of the present disclosure, the position of the
target goods can be accurately determined by using the obtained
status information of the target goods and/or position relationship
information between the carrying apparatus and the target goods, so
that the target goods can be accurately retrieved. In this way, the
tedious labeling process is avoided, and the operation efficiency
of the transport robot is improved.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0035] To describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of
the present disclosure or the existing technology more clearly, the
following briefly introduces the accompanying drawings required for
describing the embodiments or the existing technology. Apparently,
the accompanying drawings in the following description show some
embodiments of the present disclosure, and a person of ordinary
skill in the art may still derive other drawings from these
accompanying drawings without creative efforts.
[0036] FIG. 1 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for
goods retrievement according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0037] FIG. 2 is a schematic flowthart of a control method for
goods retrievement according to another embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0038] FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for
goods storage according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0039] FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for
goods storage according to another embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0040] FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a control
apparatus according to another embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0041] FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a carrying
apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0042] FIG. 7 is a schematic disassembly diagram of the carrying
apparatus shown in FIG. 6, where a rotary driving module of the
carrying apparatus is shown.
[0043] FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of the carrying
apparatus shown in FIG. 6 from another angle, where a router of the
carrying apparatus is shown.
[0044] FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a fork of the
carrying apparatus shown in FIG. 6 in a first state, where a
manipulator of the fork is extended and has acquired goods.
[0045] FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of the fork of the
carrying apparatus shown in FIG. 6 in a second state, where the
manipulator of the fork acquires goods and is retracted.
[0046] FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of the fork of the
carrying apparatus shown in FIG. 6 in a third state, where a
movable pusher of the fork is received in a telescopic arm and
extends out.
[0047] FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of the fork of the
carrying apparatus shown in FIG. 6 in a fourth state, where the
manipulator of the fork extends out and has acquired goods, and a
tray of the fork travels toward the goods.
[0048] FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a transport
robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0049] FIG. 14 is a schematic structural diagam of a transport
robot according to another embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0050] FIG. 15 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for
goods retrievement according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0051] FIG. 16 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for
goods retrievement according to another embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0052] FIG. 17 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for
goods retrievement according to another embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0053] FIG. 18 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for
goods retrievement according to another embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0054] FIG. 19 is a schematic structural diagram of a state in
which two side anus of a carrying apparatus are far away from each
other according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0055] FIG. 20 is a schematic structural diagram of a state in
which two side arms of a carrying apparatus are moved close to each
other according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0056] FIG. 21 is a schematic structural diagram of a canying
apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0057] FIG. 22 is a schematic structural diagram of a carrying
apparatus according to another embodiment of the present
disclosure.
[0058] FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of an inner arm section of a
carrying apparatus structure in an extended state according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0059] FIG. 24 is a schematic structural diagram of a movable
pusher in an avoidance position according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[0060] FIG. 25 is a schematic structural diagram of a movable
pusher in an operating position according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0061] 10-Transport robot;
[0062] 100--Carrying apparatus; 101--Goods; 102--Fork; 12--Fork
support; 14--Telescopic arm; 16--Manipulator; 18--Tray;
20--Three-dimensional imaging information acquisition module;
30--Bracket; 40--Rotary driving module; 42--First chain wheel
mechanism; 44--Rotary driving motor; 50--Two-dimensional image
scanning module; 60--Router; 110--Support frame; 111--Transverse
guide rail; 120--Side arm; 120a--Transverse fixed arm;
120b--Transverse movable arm; 120c--First movable arm; 120d--Second
movable arm; 121--Outer arm section; 122--Inner arm section;
123--Pusher assembly; 1231--Fixed pusher; 1232--Movable pusher;
124--Temporary tray; 125--Middle arm section; 130--Transverse
driving assembly; 131--Transverse motor; 132--Transverse traction
rope; 133--Transverse driving wheel; 134--Transverse transmission
shaft; 135--First connecting block; 136--Second connecting block;
140--Bracket; 150--Rotary driving assembly; 151--Chain wheel
transmission structure; 152--Rotary motor; 160--Arm section driving
assembly; 161--Arm section motor, 162--Arm section transmission
shaft; 163--Arm section chain wheel structure;
[0063] 200--Mobile chassis;
[0064] 300--Storage shelving rack; 310--Storage tray;
[0065] 400--Lifting assembly;
[0066] 500--Control apparatus; 510--Memory; 520--Processor.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0067] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages
of the embodiments of the present disclosure clearer, the following
clearly and completely describes the technical solutions in the
embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the
accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure.
Apparently, the described embodiments are merely some embodiments
of the present disclosure rather than all of the embodiments. All
other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art
based on the embodiments of the present disclosure without creative
efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present
disclosure.
[0068] The terms used in this disclosure are merely for the purpose
of describing specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit
this disclosure. The terms "a", "said" and "the" of singular forms
used in this disclosure and the appended claims are also intended
to include plural forms, unless otherwise specified in the context
clearly. It should be further understood that the term "and/or"
used herein indicates and includes any or all possible combinations
of one or more associated listed items.
[0069] It should be understood that although the terms such as
first, second, and third may be used herein to describe various
information, such information should not be limited to these terms.
These terms are merely used to distinguish between information of
the same type. For example, within the scope of this disclosure,
first information may also be referred to as second information,
and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first
information. Therefore, a feature defined by "first" or "second"
can explicitly or implicitly includes one or more features. In the
description of the present disclosure, the meaning of "plurality"
is two or more unless specifically defined otherwise.
[0070] The present disclosure provides a control method for goods
retrievement and storage, a control apparatus, and a transport
robot. In this way, a tedious labeling process is avoided, and the
operation efficiency is improved.
[0071] The following describes in detail the technical solutions
provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure with
reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0072] The present disclosure provides a control method for goods
retrievement which may be applicable to any transport robot
provided with a carrying apparatus. The control method for goods
retrievement may include the following steps.
[0073] First, a retrievement instruction is received, and locating
information of target goods is acquired according to the
retrievement instruction.
[0074] Specifically, the transport robot may obtain, after
receiving the retrievement instruction, the locating information of
the target goods by querying the locating information of the target
goods themselves or locating information of a shelving unit on
which the target goods are stored.
[0075] The transport robot may move the transport robot to a target
position according to the locating information after obtaining the
locating information of the target goods.
[0076] Then status information of the target goods and/or position
relationship information between the carrying apparatus and the
target goods are/is obtained. The status information of the target
goods includes at least one piece of size information of the target
goods or posture information of the target goods.
[0077] Finally, the transport robot adjusts a position and posture
of the carrying apparatus according to the status information
and/or the position relationship information, and causes the
carrying apparatus to take out the target goods.
[0078] In the present disclosure, the position of the target goods
can be accurately determined by using the obtained status
information of the target goods and/or position relationship
information between the carrying apparatus and the target goods, so
that the target goods can be accurately retrieved. In this way, the
tedious labeling process is avoided, and the operation efficiency
of the transport robot is improved.
[0079] In the present disclosure, the status information of the
target goods may be the posture information of the target goods
and/or the size information of the target goods. Different forms of
status information respectively correspond to different acquisition
methods.
[0080] A retrievement method in which the status information of the
target goods is used as the posture information of the target goods
is described below.
[0081] FIG. 1 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for
goods retrievement according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present disclosure. The method may be applicable to any transport
robot provided with a carrying apparatus. Referring to FIG. 1, the
method includes the following steps.
[0082] S101: The transport robot receives a retrievement
instruction and obtains locating information of target goods.
[0083] The locating information of the target goods may be the
locating information of the target goods themselves, or may be
locating information of a shelving unit on which the target goods
are stored.
[0084] In some embodiments, the retrievement instruction may
include identifier information of the target goods or the shelving
unit on which the target goods are stored. The transport robot may
obtain the locating information of the target goods by querying the
identifier information after receiving the retrievement
instruction.
[0085] In some embodiments, the retrievement instruction may
include the locating information of the target goods, and the
transport robot may directly obtain the locating information of the
target goods from the retrievement instruction.
[0086] In some embodiments, the locating information of the target
goods includes plane position information, direction information,
height information, and/or the like. The plane position information
may be, for example, a coordinate value on a horizontal plane, a
row number and a column number in a warehouse, or the like. The
direction information may be, for example, a transfer direction of
the target goods. The height information may be, for example, a
layer-number of shelving unit, a coordinate value in a height
direction, or the like.
[0087] S102: Moving the transport robot to a target position
according to the locating information of the target goods.
[0088] In some embodiments, the locating information of the target
goods includes plane position information and height information.
The moving the transport robot to a target position includes:
moving the transport robot to a position corresponding to the plane
position information; and raising or lowering the carrying
apparatus to a height corresponding to the height information.
[0089] In some embodiments, the moving the transport: robot to a
target position further includes: rotating the carrying apparatus
to the transfer direction of the target goods. If the carrying
apparatus can carry the goods only in one direction, the carrying
apparatus is required to be rotated to the transfer direction of
the goods.
[0090] In some embodiments, the chassis of the transport robot may
be moved to the target position, and then the carrying apparatus is
raised or lowered to a target height and/or rotated to a target
direction.
[0091] In some other embodiments, the chassis of the transport
robot may also be moved to the target position, and the carrying
apparatus is raised or lowered to the target height and/or rotated
to the target direction during the movement of the chassis of the
transport robot.
[0092] S103: Causing a first camera of the transport robot to
attempt to read a preset identifier.
[0093] In some embodiments, the first camera is disposed on the
carrying apparatus and is a two-dimensional camera (also referred
to as a two-dimensional image scanning module). Before the
two-dimensional camera reads the preset identifier, the transport
robot first turns on a lighting device to provide a light source
for the two-dimensional camera. The lighting device may be disposed
on the carrying apparatus or at other suitable positions.
[0094] In some embodiments, the preset identifier is an identifier
of the shelving unit on which the target goods are stored. In some
other embodiments, the preset identifier is a goods identifier on
the target goods. The preset identifier may be a two-dimensional
code or any other identifier that can be shot and read by the first
camera, for example, a graphic code.
[0095] S104: Entering an error recovery mode and aborting, a task
if the first camera cannot read the preset identifier.
[0096] In some embodiments, if the first camera fails to read the
preset identifier for the first time, the transport robot
repeatedly lifts the carrying apparatus by a preset range, and
causes the first camera to read the preset identifier again during
the lifting of the carrying apparatus. If a number of failures of
reading the preset identifier by the first camera exceeds a preset
threshold, the error recovery mode is entered, the transport robot
reports a result to a server, and the lighting device is turned
off.
[0097] S105: Determining, based on a position relationship between
the transport robot and the preset identifier, whether the carrying
apparatus may directly reach the position of the target goods from
a current position of the transport robot if the first camera
successfully reads the preset identifier.
[0098] In some embodiments, when the first camera reads the preset
identifier, it is further checked whether the preset identifier has
a code lost or is pasted upside down. If the preset identifier has
a code lost or is pasted upside down, a reset mode is entered, and
a result is reported to the server to notify the staff to make
corrections.
[0099] In some embodiments, the determining whether the carrying
apparatus may directly reach the position of the target goods from
a current position of the transport robot may include: determining
whether the chassis of the transport robot is within a preset range
of the preset identifier. If the chassis of the transport robot is
beyond the preset range, it indicates that the carrying apparatus
cannot directly reach the position of the target goods from the
current position of the transport robot, and a chassis position of
the transport robot is required to be adjusted.
[0100] S106: Adjusting the chassis position of the transport robot,
and performing S103 to read the preset identifier again, if it is
determined that the carrying apparatus cannot directly reach the
target goods from the current position of the transport robot.
[0101] S107: Shooting the target goods by using a second camera of
the transport robot, to obtain posture information of the target
goods and relative position information of the target goods and the
carrying apparatus, if it is determined that the carrying apparatus
may directly reach the target goods from the current position of
the transport robot.
[0102] Three-dimensional imaging information of the target goods
may be obtained by using the second camera of the transport robot
to shoot the target goods, and the posture information of the
target goods and the relative position information of the target
goods and the carrying apparatus may be obtained by processing the
three-dimensional imaging information.
[0103] In some embodiments, the posture information of the target
goods includes at least one piece of the following: the size
information of the target goods or an orientation of the target
goods. The size information of the target goods includes width
information. In some embodiments, for example, in a case that a
spacing between adjacent layers of the shelving unit is fixed, the
size infoimation of the target goods may not include height
information, which is understandably not limited in the present
disclosure. In some embodiments, the size information of the target
goods may include the size information (also referred to as depth
information) of the target goods in a taken-out direction. In some
embodiments, for example, in a case that the second camera is a
depth-of-field camera, the size information of the target goods may
not include the depth information of the target goods.
[0104] In some embodiments, the position relationship information
between the carrying apparatus and the target goods includes at
least one of the following: a deviation between the carrying
apparatus and the target goods in a traveling direction of the
carrying apparatus, a relative distance in the taken-out direction
of the carrying apparatus, and an angle at which the target goods
are placed relative to the carrying apparatus.
[0105] In some embodiments, the second camera is disposed on the
carrying apparatus and is a three-dimensional camera (also referred
to as a three-dimensional imaging information acquisition module),
such as a depth camera, a panoramic camera, and the like.
[0106] In some embodiments, the second camera is a camera composed
of two two-dimensional cameras, or other devices capable of
collecting three-dimensional imaging information. For example, in a
specific implementation, a three-dimensional ima.ging device using
a time-of-flight method may be adopted. Such a device can detect a
flight (a round-trip) time of the light pulse by transmitting the
light pulse to a target and receiving the light returning from an
object by using a sensor, to obtain a distance between the target
and the object.
[0107] In some embodiments, after it is determined that the
carrying apparatus may directly reach the target goods from the
current position of the transport robot, it is determined, based on
shooting information of the second camera, whether goods exist at a
corresponding position of the target goods. If it is determined
that goods exist at the position of the target goods, it is further
determined whether the size of the goods is within a size range
that the carrying apparatus can take out. If it is determined that
no goods exist at the corresponding position of the target goods or
the size of the goods exceeds the size range that the carrying
apparatus can take out, the reset mode is entered, and the result
is reported to the server.
[0108] S108: Adjusting a position and posture of the carrying
apparatus according to the posture information of the target goods
and the relative position information of the target goods and the
carrying apparatus.
[0109] In some embodiments, the adjusting a position and posture of
the carrying apparatus includes: adjusting the chassis position of
the transport robot, raising or lowering the carrying apparatus,
and/or rotating the carrying apparatus, to align a specific
position of the transport robot to a specific position of the
target goods.
[0110] In some embodiments, the carrying apparatus has a first
telescopic arm and a second telescopic arm, the carrying apparatus
is configured to place the goods between the first telescopic arm
and the second telescopic arm when retrieving the goods, and the
adjusting the position and posture of the carrying apparatus
includes: adjusting the chassis position of the transport robot,
raising or lowering a bracket of the carrying apparatus, and/or
rotating the support frame of carrying apparatus, to align the
specific position (such as an intermediate position) between the
first telescopic arm and the second telescopic arm to the specific
position (such as a central position) of the target goods, and
adjusting a spacing between the first telescopic arm and the second
telescopic arm of the carrying apparatus according to the size
information of the goods, to adapt to the size of the target
goods.
[0111] S109: Causing the carrying apparatus to take out the target
goods in the adjusted position and posture.
[0112] After the carrying apparatus adjusts the position and
posture of the carrying apparatus, the carrying apparatus is
extended out according to the relative position information of the
target goods and the carrying apparatus, to take out the target
goods.
[0113] In some embodiments, the second camera is a depth camera.
The causing the carrying apparatus to take out the target goods in
the adjusted position and posture includes: determining a extension
depth of the carrying apparatus, and causing the first telescopic
arm and the second telescopic arm to extend out by the extension
depth in the adjusted position and posture, where the extension
depth may be equal to a sum of the relative distance between the
carrying apparatus and the target goods in the taken-out direction
of the carrying apparatus and a predetermined percentage of a
largest one (such as 50%) of sizes of all to-be-retrieved goods in
the take-out direction; or the extension depth may be equal to a
preset maximum extension size. In the case of using the depth
camera, the transport robot may acquire the relative distance
between the carrying apparatus and the target goods in the
taken-out direction of the carrying apparatus, but may not be able
to acquire the depth information of the target goods. In this case,
the extension depth of the carrying apparatus may be determined by
using the largest one of the sizes of the to-be-retrieved goods in
the take-out direction or the preset maximum extension size.
[0114] In some embodiments, after the transport robot adjusts the
position and posture of the carrying apparatus, and before the
carrying apparatus is extended to take out the goods, it is
determined whether the carrying apparatus will collide with the
shelving unit when being extended out. By using the step, the
carrying apparatus or the goods may be prevented from being damaged
as a result of the carrying apparatus colliding with the shelving
unit after being extended out. If it is determined that the
carrying apparatus will collide with the shelving unit after being
extended out, the error recovery mode is entered to reset the
carrying apparatus, and S107 is performed again to readjust the
position and posture of the carrying apparatus. If it is still
determined, after the readjustment, that the carrying apparatus
will collide with the shelving unit after being extended out, the
result is reported to the server, and the task is suspended.
[0115] In some embodiments, the carrying apparatus is raised or
lowered to read the shelving unit identifier, so as to learn
relative positions of the carrying apparatus and the shelving unit
and determine whether the canying apparatus will collide with the
shelving unit after being extended out. The shelving unit
identifier may be located above or below the target goods. If the
shelving unit identifier is above the goods, the carrying apparatus
is raised to read the shelving unit identifier, or otherwise, the
carrying apparatus is lowered to read the identifier on the
shelving unit. The shelving unit identifier may be, for example,
shot and read by the first camera.
[0116] In the above embodiment, the two-dimensional camera is used
to shoot the preset identifier such as the goods identifier, the
shelving unit identifier, or the like, and the three-dimensional
camera is used to shoot the target goods to obtain the
three-dimensional imaging information of the goods. As an
alternative, the preset identifier is set as an identifier that can
be shot and read by the three-dimensional camera. In this way, in
some embodiments, the transport robot may only be provided with the
three-dimensional camera. That is to say, the first camera and the
second camera in the above embodiments represent the same
three-dimensional camera.
[0117] FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for
goods retrievement according to another embodiment of the present
disclosure. The method is applicable to a transport robot, and the
transport robot has a chassis and a carrying apparatus supported on
the chassis and configured to take out goods. Referring to FIG. 2,
the method includes the following steps.
[0118] S201: Receiving a retrievement instruction, and obtaining
locating information of target goods according to the retrievement
instruction.
[0119] S202: Moving the transport robot to a target position
according to the locating information.
[0120] S203: Causing the transport robot to acquire
three-dimensional imaging information of the target goods.
[0121] S204: Acquiring posture information of the target goods and
position relationship information between the carrying apparatus
and the target goods according to the three-dimensional imaging
information.
[0122] S205: Adjusting a position and posture of the carrying
apparatus according to the position relationship information and
the posture information, and causing the carrying apparatus to take
out the target goods in the adjusted position and posture.
[0123] It may be understood that, in some embodiments, only the
posture information of the target goods may be acquired, or only
the position relationship information between the carrying
apparatus and the target goods may be acquired. The position and
posture of the carrying apparatus is adjusted according to the
position relationship information or the posture information, and
the carrying apparatus is caused to take out the target goods in
the adjusted position and posture.
[0124] In some embodiments, the posture information of the target
goods includes size information of the target goods. The position
relationship information between the carrying apparatus and the
target goods includes: a deviation between the carrying apparatus
and the target goods in a traveling direction of the carrying,
apparatus, a relative distance between the carrying apparatus and
the target goods in the taken-out direction of the carrying
apparatus, and/or an angle at which the target goods are placed
relative to the carrying apparatus.
[0125] In some embodiments, the carrying apparatus is provided with
a sensing apparatus. The causing the transport robot to acquire
posture information of the target goods and position relationship
information between the carrying apparatus and the target goods
includes: obtaining the posture information of the target goods and
the position relationship information between the carrying
apparatus and the target goods based on an operation of the sensing
apparatus on the target goods.
[0126] In some embodiments, the sensing apparatus includes a
three-dimensional camera.
[0127] In some embodiments, the three-dimensional camera includes a
depth-of-fidd camera. The carrying apparatus has telescopic arms,
and the causing the carrying apparatus to atke out the target goods
in the adjusted position and posture includes: determining an
extension depth of the carrying apparatus; and causing, each of the
telescopic arms to extend out by the extension depth in the
adjusted position and posture. The extension depth is equal to a
sum of the relative distance between the carrying apparatus and the
target goods in the taken-out direction of the carrying apparatus
and a predetermined percentage of a largest one of sizes of all
to-be-retrieved goods in the taken-out direction. Alternatively,
the extension depth is equal to a preset maximum extension
size.
[0128] In some embodiments, the adjusting a position and posture of
the carrying apparatus according to the position relationship
information and the posture information includes: aligning a
specific position of the transport robot to a specific position of
the target goods by performing, at least one of the following:
driving the chassis of the transport robot, raising or lowering the
carrying apparatus, or rotating the carrying apparatus.
[0129] In some embodiments, the carrying apparatus has a pair of
telescopic arms, and the adjusting the position and posture of the
carrying apparatus further includes: adjusting a spacing between
the pair of telescopic arms to adapt to a size of the target
goods.
[0130] In some embodiments, the posture information includes the
size information of the target goods. Before the adjusting the
position and posture of the carrying apparatus according to the
position relationship information and the posture information, the
method includes: determining whether the target goods exist; and
determining whether a size of the target goods is within a size
range that the carrying apparatus can take out if the target goods
exist.
[0131] In some embodiments, before the causing the carrying
apparatus to take out the target goods in the adjusted position and
posture, the method includes: determining whether the carrying
apparatus will collide with a shelving unit when retrieving the
goods.
[0132] In some embodiments, the moving the transport robot to a
target position includes: moving the chassis of the transport robot
to the target position, and then raising or lowering the carrying
apparatus to a target shelving unit height and/or rotating the
carrying apparatus to a target direction; or moving the chassis of
the transport robot to the target position, and raising or lowering
the carrying apparatus to a target height and/or rotating the
carrying apparatus to a target direction during the movement of the
chassis of the transport robot.
[0133] In the above embodiments, the goods are retrieved from the
stationary shdving mit by way of example for description. It may be
understood that those skilled in the art can obtain the process of
retrieving the goods from the storage shelving rack from the above
embodiments, and the details will riot be described again in the
present disclosure.
[0134] FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for
goods storage according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
The method is applicable to a transport robot, and the transport
robot is provided with a carrying apparatus. Referring to FIG. 3,
the method includes the following steps.
[0135] S301: The transport robot receives a storage instruction and
obtains locating information of target goods.
[0136] The locating information of the target goods may be the
locating information of the target goods themselves, or may be
locating information of a shelving unit on which the target goods
are stored.
[0137] In some embodiments, the storage instruction may include
identifier information of the target goods or the shelving unit on
which the target goods are stored. The transport robot may obtain
the locating information of the target goods by querying the
identifier information after receiving the storage instruction.
[0138] In some embodiments, the storage instruction may include the
locating information of the target goods, and the transport robot
may directly obtain the locating information of the target goods
from the storage instruction.
[0139] In some embodiments, the locating information of the target
goods includes plane position information, direction information,
height information, and/or the like. The plane position.
information may be, for example, a coordinate value on a horizontal
plane, a row number and a column number in a warehouse, or the
like. The direction information may be, for example, a transfer
direction of the target goods. The height information may be, for
example, a layer-number of shelving unit, a coordinate value in a
height direction, or the like.
[0140] S302: Moving the transport robot to a target position
according to the locating information of the target goods.
[0141] In some embodiments, the locating information of the target
goods includes plane position information and height information.
The moving the transport robot to a target position includes:
moving the transport robot to a position corresponding to the plane
position information; and raising or lowering the carrying
apparatus to a height corresponding to the height information.
[0142] In some embodiments, the moving the transport robot to a
target position further includes: rotating the carrying apparatus
to the transfer direction of the target goods. If the carrying
apparatus can carry the goods only in one direction, the carrying
apparatus is required to be rotated to the transfer direction of
the goods.
[0143] In sonic embodiments, the chassis of the transport robot may
be moved to the target position, and then the carrying apparatus is
raised or lowered to a target height and/or rotated to a target
direction.
[0144] In some other embodiments, the chassis of the transport
robot may also be moved to the target position, and the carrying
apparatus is raised or lowered to the target height and/or rotated
to the target direction during the movement of the chassis of the
transport robot.
[0145] S303: Causing a first camera of the transport robot to
attempt to read a preset identifier.
[0146] In some embodiments, the first camera is disposed on the
carrying apparatus, and before the two-dimensional camera reads the
preset identifier, the transport robot first turns on a lighting
device to provide a light source for the two-dimensional camera.
The lighting device may be disposed on the carrying apparatus or at
other suitable positions.
[0147] In some embodiments, the preset identifier is an identifier
of the shelving unit on which the target goods are stored. In some
other embodiments, the preset identifier is a goods identifier on
the target goods. The preset identifier may be a two-dimensional
code or any other identifier that can be shot and read by the first
camera.
[0148] S304: Entering an error recovery mode and aborting a task if
the first camera cannot read the preset identifier.
[0149] In some embodiments, if the first camera fails to read the
preset identifier for the first time, the transport robot
repeatedly lifts the carrying apparatus by a preset range, and
causes the first camera to read the preset identifier again during
the lifting of the carrying apparatus. If a number of failures of
reading the preset identifier by the first camera exceeds a preset
threshold, the error recovery mode is entered, the transport robot
reports a result to a server, and the lighting device is turned
off.
[0150] S305: Determining, based on a position relationship between
the transport robot and the preset identifier, whether the
transport robot is within a preset range of the preset identifier
if the first camera successfully reads the preset identifier.
[0151] In some embodiments, when the first camera reads the preset
identifier, it is further checked whether the preset identifier has
a code lost or is pasted upside down. If the preset identifier has
a code lost or is pasted upside down, a reset mode is entered, and
a result is reported to the server to notify the staff to make
corrections.
[0152] S306: Adjusting a chassis position of the transport robot,
and performing S303 to read the preset identifier again if it is
determined that the transport robot is not within the preset range
of the preset identifier.
[0153] S307: Raising the carrying apparatus and collecting
three-dimensional imaging information by using a second camera if
it is determined that the transport robot is within the preset
range of the preset identifier.
[0154] The second camera is disposed on the carrying apparatus, and
the purpose of raising the carrying apparatus is to raise the
second camera to a corresponding position. That is to say, the
second camera is caused to be aligned to the position where the
target goods are to be placed, and then the three-dimensional
imaging information is collected by aligning the second camera to
the position.
[0155] In some embodiments, the second camera is a
three-dimensional camera such as a depth camera, a panoramic
camera, and the like.
[0156] In some embodiments, the second camera is a camera composed
of two two-dimensional cameras, or other devices capable of
collecting three-dimensional imaging information.
[0157] S308: Determining, based on the collected three-dimensional
imaging information, whether a container exists on the shelving
unit.
[0158] In some embodiments, if the container exists on the shelving
unit, the collected three-dimensional imaging information includes
image information of the container and corresponding point cloud
data, and if no container exists on the shelving unit, the
collected three-dimensional imaging information does not include
the image information of the container and the corresponding point
cloud data.
[0159] S309: Entering the error recovery mode and aborting the task
if the container exists.
[0160] In some embodiments, if the collected three-dimensional
imaging information includes image information of the container or
the point cloud data corresponding to the container, it is
determined that the container exists, the error recovery mode is
entered, and the transport robot reports the result to the
server.
[0161] S310: Lowering the carrying apparatus to place target goods
on the shelving unit if no container exists.
[0162] In some embodiments, if the collected three-dimensional
imaging information does not include the image information of the
container or the point cloud data corresponding to the container,
it is determined that no container exists. The target goods may be
placed on the shelving unit, and then the transport robot lowers
the carrying apparatus and places the target goods on the
corresponding position of the shelving unit.
[0163] In some embodiments, before the causing, the carrying
apparatus to place the target goods on the shelving unit, the
method further includes: determining, according to a size of the
target goods, whether the target goods are suitable to be placed on
the shelving unit.
[0164] In some embodiments, before the carrying apparatus is raised
and the three-dimensional imaging information is collected by using
the second camera, it is determined whether the carrying apparatus
will collide with the shelving unit when being raised. By using the
step, the carrying apparatus or the goods may be prevented from
being damaged due to the collision with the shelving unit during
the raising or lowering of the carrying apparatus for goods
storage. If it is determined that the carrying apparatus will
collide with the shelving unit after being raised the error
recovery mode is entered to reset the carrying apparatus, and S307
is performed again to readjust the position and posture of the
carrying apparatus. If it is still determined, after the
readjustment, that the carrying apparatus will collide with the
shelving unit after being extended out, the result is reported to
the server, and the task is suspended.
[0165] In some embodiments, the carrying apparatus is raised or
lowered to read the shelving unit identifier, so as to learn
relative positions of the carrying apparatus and the shelving unit
and determine whether the carrying apparatus will collide with the
shelving unit. The shelving unit identifier may be located above or
below the target goods. If the shelving unit identifier is above
the goods, the carrying apparatus is raised to read the shelving
unit identifier, or otherwise, the carrying apparatus is lowered to
read the identifier on the shelving unit. The shelving unit
identifier may be, for example, shot and read by the first
camera.
[0166] In the above embodiment, the two-dimensional camera is used
to shoot the preset identifier such as the goods identifier, the
shelving unit identifier, or the like, and the three-dimensional
camera is used to shoot the target goods to obtain the
three-dimensional imaging information of the goods. As an
alternative, the preset identifier is set as an identifier that can
be shot and read by the three-dimensional camera. In this way, in
some embodiments, the transport robot may only be provided with the
three-dimensional camera. That is to say, the first camera and the
second camera in the above embodiments represent the same
three-dimensional camera.
[0167] FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for
goods storage according to another embodiment of the present
disclosure. The method is applicable to a transport robot, and the
transport robot is provided with a carrying apparatus. Referring to
FIG. 4, the method includes the following steps.
[0168] S401: Receiving a storage instruction, and obtaining
locating information of target goods according to the storage
instruction.
[0169] S402: Moving the transport robot to a target position
according to the locating information.
[0170] S403: Causing the transport robot to collect
three-dimensional imaging information based on the target
position.
[0171] S404: Determining, according to the three-dimensional
imaging information, whether a container exists on a shelving
unit.
[0172] S405: Causing the carrying apparatus to place the target
goods on the shelving unit if no container exists.
[0173] In some embodiments, the carrying apparatus is provided with
a sensing apparatus. The causing the transport robot to collect
three-dimensional imaging information based on the target position
includes: causing the sensing apparatus to collect the
three-dimensional imaging information based on the target
position.
[0174] In some embodiments, the sensing apparatus includes a
three-dimensional camera.
[0175] In some embodiments, before the causing the carrying
apparatus to place the target goods on the shelving unit, the
method includes: determining whether the carrying apparatus will
collide with the shelving unit when placing the goods.
[0176] In some embodiments, the moving the transport robot to a
target position includes: moving the chassis of the transport robot
to the target position, and then raising or lowering the carrying
apparatus to a target shelving unit height and/or rotating the
carrying apparatus to a target direction; or moving the chassis of
the transport robot to the target position, and raising or lowering
the carrying, apparatus to a target height and/or rotating the
carrying apparatus to a target direction during the movement of the
chassis of the transport robot.
[0177] Those skilled in the art may further appreciate that the
various exemplary logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm
steps described in connection with the disclosure herein may be
implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a
combination of the two.
[0178] Flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures show
architectures, functions, and operations of possible
implementations of systems and methods according to a plurality of
embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block
in the flowchart or the block diagram may represent a module, a
program segment, or part of code. The module, the program segment,
or the part of the code includes one or more executable
instructions for implementing specified logical functions. It
should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the
functions marked in the blocks may also be executed out of the
order marked in the figures. For example, two consecutive blocks
may actually be executed in parallel, or may sometimes be executed
in reverse order, which depends on the functions involved. It is
also to be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or
flowcharts and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or
flowcharts may be implemented by dedicated hardware-based systems
that execute the specified functions or operations, or may be
implemented in a combination of dedicated hardware and computer
instructions.
[0179] FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a control
apparatus according, to another embodiment of the present
disclosure. Referring to FIG. 5, an embodiment of the present
disclosure further provides a control apparatus, including: at
least one processor 520; and a memory 510, communicatively
connected to the at least one processor 520, the memory 510 storing
executable code, the executable code, when executed by the at least
one processor 520, causing the at least one processor 520 to
perform some or all of the methods of FIG. 1 to FIG. 4.
[0180] The processor 520 may be a central processing unit (CPU),
and may further be other general-purpose processors, digital signal
processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits
(ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other
programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic
devices, discrete hardware components, and the like. The
general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or may be any
conventional processor, or the like.
[0181] The memory 510 may include various types of storage units,
for example, a system memory, a read only memory (ROM), and a
persistent storage apparatus. The ROM may store static data or
instructions required by the processor 520 or other modules of the
computer. The persistent storage apparatus may be a read-write
storage apparatus. The persistent storage apparatus may be a
non-volatile storage device that retains instructions and data
after power to a computer is powered off. In some implementations,
the persistent storage apparatus adopts a mass storage apparatus
(for example, a magnetic disk or an optical disk, or a flash
memory) as the persistent storage apparatus. In some other
implementations, the persistent storage apparatus may be a
removable storage device (for example, a floppy disk or an optical
drive). The system memory may be a read-write storage device or a
volatile read-write storage device, for example, a dynamic
random-access memory. The system memory may store some or all of
the instructions and data required for the processor during
operation. In addition, the memory 510 may include any combination
of computer-readable storage media, including various types of
semiconductor memory chips (a DRAM, a SRAM, an SDRAM, a flash
memory, and a programmable read-only memory), and the magnetic disk
and/or the optical disk may also be adopted. In some
implementations, the memory 510 may include a readlwrite removable
storage device, for example, a compact disc (CD), a read-only
digital versatile disc (for example, a DVD-ROM, or a dual layer
DVD-ROM), a read-only Blu-ray, an ultra density optical disc, a
flash memory card for example, an SD card, a mini SD card, a
Micro-SD card, and the like), a magnetic floppy disk, and the like.
The computer-readable storage media do not include carrier waves
and transient electronic signals transmitted in a wireless or wired
manner.
[0182] FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a carrying
apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Referring to FIG. 6, one embodiment of the present disclosure
provides a carrying apparatus 100. The carrying apparatus 100 may
be applicable to a device such as a transport robot, a shuttle
vehicle, and a three-dimensional warehouse for warehousing and
logistics. In this embodiment, the carrying apparatus 100 is
applied to the transport robot by way of example for detailed
description.
[0183] The carrying, apparatus 100 includes a fork 102 and a
three-dimensional imaging information acquisition module 20. The
fork 102 is configured to take out goods. The three-dimensional
imaging information acquisition module 20 is mounted to the fork
102 and configured to acquire three-dimensional imaging information
of the goods, to determine a position of the goods on a shelving
unit. The three-dimensional imaging information acquisition module
20 may be a depth camera or a panoramic camera, or may be a
combination of a plurality of cameras, as long as the
three-dimensional imaging information of the goods. can be
acquired.
[0184] FIG. 7 is a schematic disassembly diagram of the carrying
apparatus shown in FIG. 6, where a rotary driving module of the
carrying apparatus is shown. Referring to FIG. 7, in some
embodiments, the carrying apparatus 100 further includes a bracket
30 and a rotary driving module 40. The fork 102 is mounted to the
bracket 30 and is rotatable relative to the bracket 30 along a
vertical direction z. The rotary driving module 40 connects the
fork 102 to the bracket 30. The rotary driving module 40 is
configured to drive, according to position information of the
goods, the fork 102 to rotate relative to the bracket 30 in a
horizontal plane, to cause the fork 102 to rotate to a position at
an angle where the goods are easily taken out, which facilitates
avoidance of an obstacle, alignment of the goods, and the like.
[0185] The rotary driving module 40 may include a first chain wheel
mechanism 42 and a rotary driving motor 44. The first chain wheel
mechanism 42 is connected to the fork 102, and the rotary driving
motor 44 is configured to drive, by using the first chain wheel
mechanism 42, the fork 102 to rotate relative to the bracket 30. It
may be understood that, according to an actual situation, the first
chain wheel mechanism 42 may also be replaced with a gear set, or
may be directly omitted, and the fork 102 is directly driven by the
rotary driving motor 44 to rotate relative to the bracket 30.
[0186] FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of the carrying
apparatus shown in FIG. 6 from another angle, where a router of the
carrying apparatus is shown. Referring to FIG. 8, in some
embodiments, the shelving unit is pasted with a preset identifier,
such as a two-dimensional code, a barcode, and the like. The
carrying apparatus 100 further includes a two-dimensional image
scanning module 50. The two-dimensional image scanning module 50 is
mounted to the fork 102 and configured to acquire graphic code
information on the shelving unit to determine a height of the fork
102. The two-dimensional image scanning module 50 may be a camera.
It may be understood that the two-dimensional image scanning module
50 may be omitted according to the actual situation. For example,
the fork 102 operates at a constant height, and the height at which
the fork 102 is located is not required to be determined. For
another example, the fork 102 can be raised or lowered, but the
height by which the fork 102 is raised or lowered is set by a
preset program, and at this point, the height at which the fork 102
is located is not required to be determined either. When the
three-dimensional imaging information acquisition module 20 can
acquire all required information, the two-dimensional image
scanning module 50 may not be disposed.
[0187] In some embodiments, the carrying apparatus 100 further
includes a router 60. The router is mounted to the fork 102 and
electrically connected to the three-dimensional imaging information
acquisition module 20 and the two-dimensional image scanning module
50, to receive and deliver the three-dimensional imaging
information and the graphic code information. It may be understood
that, the router 60 may be omitted according, to the actual
situation. For example, the three-dimensional imaging information
acquisition module 20 and the two-dimensional image seaming module
50 are directly connected to a host by using two network cables
respectively.
[0188] FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a fork of the
carrying apparatus shown in FIG. 6 in a first state, where a
manipulator of the fork is extended and has acquired goods. FIG. 10
is a schematic structural diagram of the fork of the carrying
apparatus shown in FIG. 6 in a second state, where a manipulator of
the fork acquires goods and is retracted. Referring to FIG. 9 and
FIG. 10 together, in some embodiments, the fork 102 include a fork
support 12, telescopic aims 14, and a manipulator 16. A fixed end
of each of the telescopic arms 14 is mounted to the fork support
12, the manipulator 16 is mounted to a movable end of the each
telescopic arm 14, and the movable end is horizontally movable
relative to the fork support 12 along a transverse direction x, to
cause the manipulator 16 to extend to a position where the goods
101 are acquirable (the manipulator 16 extends out, as shown in
FIG. 9), or cause the manipulator 16 to retract after acquiring the
goods 101 (the manipulator 16 retracts, as shown in FIG. 10). The
manipulator 16 is configured to acquire the goods 101. It may be
understood that, according to the actual situation, the fork 102 is
not limited to the above form, as long as the fork 102 can take out
the goods 101.
[0189] The each telescopic arm 14 may include a second chain wheel
mechanism (not shown in the figure) and a telescopic driving motor
(not shown in the figure). The second chain wheel mechanism is
connected to the movable end of the telescopic arm 14, and the
telescopic driving motor is configured to drive, by using the
second chain wheel mechanism, the movable end of the telescopic arm
14 to move relative to the fork support 12. It may be understood
that, according to the actual situation, the second chain wheel
mechanism may be replaced with a belt pulley mechanism, a screw rod
structure, and the like, or may be omitted directly, or may be
directly driven by the movable end of the telescopic arm 14. At
this point, the telescopic driving motor is a linear motor.
[0190] In some embodiments, the fork 102 further includes a tray
18. The tray 18 is mound to the fork support 12, and the
manipulator 16 is configured to place the acquired goods 101 to the
tray 18 when the manipulator 16 retracts after acquiring the goods
101. It may be understood that, according to the actual situation,
the tray 18 may be omitted, and the fork 102 places the take outd
goods 101 in a storage place.
[0191] FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of the fork of the
carrying apparatus shown in FIG. 6 in a third state, where a
movable pusher of the fork is received in a telescopic arm and
extends out. Referring to FIG. 9 and FIG. 11 together, in some
embodiments, the manipulator 16 includes a movable pusher. As shown
in FIG. 11, the movable pusher is receivable in the movable end to
avoid the goods 101 during the extension of the manipulator 16. The
movable pusher is extendable from the movable end to pull the goods
101 during, the retraction of the manipulator 16, as shown in FIG.
9 and FIG. 10. It may be understood that, according to the actual
situation, the manipulator 16 is not limited to the above form. For
example, a gripping apparatus such as a mechanical gripper, a
magnetic chuck, or the like is used.
[0192] The manipulator 16 may move in a rotating manner, or move in
a moving manner, as long as the manipulator can be received in the
movable end or extend from the movable end.
[0193] FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of the fork of the
carrying apparatus shown in FIG. 6 in a fourth state, where the
manipulator of the fork extends out and has acquired goods, and a
tray of the fork travels toward the goods. Referring to FIG. 10 and
FIG. 12 together, in some embodiments, the tray 1$ is horizontally
movable relative to the fork support 12 along the transverse
direction x, to travel to a position close to the goods 101
acquired by the manipulator 16, as shown in FIG. 12, or to retract
after the goods 101 are placed on the tray 18, as shown in FIG. 10.
In this way, a gap between the tray 18 and the shelving unit can be
narrowed, and the goods 101 are not easily dropped from the
gap.
[0194] Referring to FIG. 9 again, in some embodiments, a quantity
of the telescopic arms 14 is two. Movable ends of the two
telescopic arms 14 are horizontally spaced apart from each other
along a longitudinal direction y, and are synchronously
horizontally movable relative to the fork support 12 along the
transverse direction x. When the manipulator 16 extends to the
position where the goods 101 are acquirable, the goods 101 are
located between the movable ends of the two telescopic arms 14, and
When the manipulator 16 is retracted, the two telescopic aims 14
can transfer the goods 101 more stably.
[0195] In some embodiments, one of the telescopic arms 14 is
horizontally movable relative to an other of the telescopic arms 14
along the longitudinal direction y, to cause a horizontal distance
between the movable ends of the two telescopic arms 14 along the
longitudinal direction y to be adjustable, to adapt to goods having
different sizes.
[0196] In some embodiments, fixed ends of the two telescopic arms
14 are both movably mounted to the fork support 12. The two
telescopic arms 14 are simultaneously horizontally movable relative
to the fork support 12 along the longitudinal direction y, and the
two telescopic arms 14 move in opposite directions. In some other
embodiments, the fixed end of one telescopic arm 14 is fixedly
mounted to the fork support 12, and the fixed end of the other
telescopic arm 14 is movably mounted to the fork support 12. When
one of the telescopic arms 14 horizontally moves relative to the
other telescopic arm 14 along the longitudinal direction y, the
telescopic arm 14 is fixed relative to the fork support 12, and the
other telescopic arm 14 horizontally moves relative to the fork
support 12 along the longitudinal direction y.
[0197] FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a transport
robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Referring to FIG. 13, an embodiment of the present disclosure
provides a transport robot 10, which may perform the foregoing
method. The transport robot 10 includes a mobile chassis 200, a
storage shelving rack 300 (that is, the above storage apparatus), a
lifting assembly (not shown in the figure), and the above carrying
apparatus 100. The storage shelving rack 300 is mounted to the
mobile chassis 200 (that is, the chassis), and the storage shelving
rack 300 is provided with a plurality of storage trays 310 (that
is, the plates) distributed along a vertical direction. Each of the
storage trays 310 is configured to place goods. The carrying
apparatus 100 is configured to transfer the goods between a
stationary shelving unit and any of the storage trays 310, and the
lifting assembly is configured to drive the carrying apparatus 100
to move along the vertical direction, to cause the carrying
apparatus 100 to be raised or lowered to a height corresponding to
the storage tray 310 or a height of the stationary shelving unit.
When the carrying apparatus 100 is raised or lowered to the height
corresponding to the storage tray 310, the carrying apparatus 100
moves the goods to the corresponding storage tray 310 along a
transfer direction, or the carrying apparatus 100 moves the goods
located on the corresponding storage tray 310 out along the
transfer direction. When the carrying apparatus 100 is raised or
lowered to the height corresponding to the stationary shelving
unit, the carrying apparatus 100 moves the goods to the
corresponding stationary shelving unit along the transfer
direction, or the carrying apparatus 100 moves the goods located on
the corresponding stationary shelving unit out along the transfer
direction.
[0198] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure,
the carrying apparatus includes: a fork, configured to take out
goods; and a three-dimensional imaging information acquisition
module, mounted to the fork and configured to acquire
three-dimensional imaging information of the goods, to determine a
position of the goods.
[0199] In some embodiments, the carrying apparatus further includes
a bracket and a rotary driving module. The fork is mounted to the
bracket and is rotatable relative to the bracket along a vertical
direction. The rotary driving module connects the fork to the
bracket, and is configured to drive, according to position
information of the goods, the fork to rotate relative to the
bracket in a horizontal plane.
[0200] In some embodiments, the carrying apparatus further includes
a two-dimensional image scanning module. The two-dimensional image
scanning module is mounted to the fork and is configured to acquire
graphic code information to determine a height of the fork.
[0201] In some embodiments, the carrying apparatus further includes
a router. The router is electrically connected to the
three-dimensional imaging information acquisition module and the
two-dimensional image scanning module to receive and deliver the
three-dimensional imaging information and the graphic code
information.
[0202] In some embodiments, the fork includes a fork support,
telescopic arms, and a manipulator. A fixed end of each of the
telescopic arms is mounted to the fork support, the manipulator is
mounted to a movable end of the telescopic arm, and the movable end
is horizontally movable relative to the fork support along a
transverse direction, to cause the manipulator to extend to a
position where the goods are acquirable or cause the manipulator to
retract after acquiring the goods. The manipulator is configured to
acquire the goods.
[0203] In some embodiments, the fork further includes a tray. The
tray is mound to the fork support, and the manipulator is
configured to place the acquired goods to the tray when retracting
after acquiring the goods.
[0204] In some embodiments, the manipulator includes a movable
pusher. The movable pusher is receivable in the movable end to
avoid the goods during the extension of the manipulator. The
movable pusher is extendable from the movable end to pull the goods
during the retraction of the manipulator.
[0205] In some embodiments, the tray is horizontally movable
relative to the fork support along the transverse direction, to
travel to a position close to the goods .acquired by the
manipulator, or to retract when the goods are placed on the
tray.
[0206] In some embodiments, a quantity of the telescopic arms is
two. Movable ends of the two telescopic arms are horizontally
spaced apart from each other along a longitudinal direction, and
are synchronously horizontally movable relative to the fork support
along the transverse direction. When the manipulator extends to the
position where the goods are acquirable, the goods are located
between the movable ends of the two telescopic arms.
[0207] In some embodiments, one of the telescopic arms is
horizontally movable relative to the other of the telescopic arms
along the longitudinal direction, to cause a horizontal distance
between the movable ends of the two telescopic arms along the
longitudinal direction to be adjustable.
[0208] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure,
the transport robot includes the above carrying apparatus.
[0209] In some embodiments, the transport robot further includes a
storage apparatus and a chassis. The storage apparatus is
configured to store goods taken out by the fork. The chassis
carries the storage apparatus and the carrying apparatus and is
movable.
[0210] In some embodiments, the storage apparatus includes at least
two plates distributed at different heights. The transport robot
further includes a lifting driving apparatus. The lifting driving
apparatus is configured to drive the carrying apparatus to be
raised or lowered, to cause the fork to palce the goods taken out
to one of the at least two plates.
[0211] Compared with the prior art, in the carrying apparatus
provided in the present disclosure and the transport robot having
the carrying apparatus, the three-dimensional imaging information
acquisition module is configured in the fork of the carrying
apparatus to acquire the three-dimensional imaging information of
the goods. In this way, the position of the container can be
determined, and the tedious labeling process can be avoided.
[0212] In the above embodiment, a retrievement method in which the
status information of the target goods is used as the posture
information of the target goods is described.
[0213] A retrievement method in which the status information of the
target goods is used as the size information of the target goods is
described below. First, a structure of the transport robot to which
a retrievement method in which the status information of the target
goods is used as the size information of the target goods is
applicable is described.
[0214] FIG. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a transport
robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Referring to FIG. 14, an embodiment of the present disclosure
provides a transport robot 10. The transport robot includes a
mobile chassis 200, a storage shelving rack 300, a lifting assembly
400, and a carrying apparatus 100. The storage shelving rack 300 is
mounted to the mobile chassis 200, and the storage shelving rack
300 is provided with a plurality of storage trays 310 distributed
along a vertical direction. Each of the storage trays 310 is
configured to place goods. The carrying apparatus 100 is configured
to transfer the goods between a stationary shelving unit and any of
the storage trays 310, and the lifting assembly 400 is configured
to drive the carrying apparatus 100 to move along the vertical
direction, to cause the carrying apparatus 100 to be raised or
lowered to a height corresponding to the storage tray 310 or a
height of the stationary shelving unit. When the carrying apparatus
100 is raised or lowered to the height corresponding, to the
storage tray 310, the carrying apparatus 100 moves the goods to the
corresponding storage tray 310 along a transfer direction, or the
carrying apparatus 100 moves the goods located on the corresponding
storage tray 310 out along the transfer direction. When the
carrying apparatus 100 is raised or lowered to the height
corresponding to the stationary shelving unit, the carrying
apparatus 100 moves the goods to the corresponding stationary
shelving unit along the transfer direction, or the carrying
apparatus 100 moves the goods located on the corresponding
stationary shelving unit out along the transfer direction.
[0215] In some embodiments, the carrying apparatus includes a
support frame, a first arm portion and a second arm portion
supported by the support frame, and a driving apparatus that drives
at least one of the first arm portion or the second arm portion to
move to adjust a spacing between the first arm portion and the
second arm portion. The goods are placed between the first arm
portion and the second arm portion when the carrying apparatus
moves the goods out, and the spacing between the first arm portion
and the second arm portion is adjusted, to cause the carrying
apparatus to adapt to goods having different sizes.
[0216] In some embodiments, the carrying apparatus further includes
a bracket. The bracket is movable along a vertical direction, and
the support frame is rotatably disposed on the bracket along an
axis in a vertical direction.
[0217] FIG. 15 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for
goods retrievement according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure. The method may be applicable to the above transport
robot. It may be understood that the method of this embodiment may
also be applicable to other transport robots that can adapt to
goods having different sizes by adjusting the spacing between the
two arm portions. Referring to FIG. 15, the method includes the
following steps.
[0218] S21: The transport robot receives a retrievement instruction
and obtains locating information of target goods.
[0219] The locating information of the target goods may be the
locating information of the target goods themselves, or may be
locating information of a shelving unit on which the target goods
are stored.
[0220] In some embodiments, the retrievement instruction may
include identifier information of the target goods or the shelving
unit on which the target goods are stored. The transport robot may
obtain the locating information of the target goods by querying the
identifier information after receiving the retrievement
instruction.
[0221] In some embodiments, the retrievement instruction may
include the locating information of the target goods, and the
transport robot may directly obtain the locating information of the
target goods from the retrievement instruction.
[0222] In some embodiments, the locating information of the target
goods includes plane position information, direction information,
height information, and/or the like. The plane position information
may be, for example, a coordinate value on a horizontal plane, a
row number and a column number in a warehouse, or the like. The
direction information may be, for example, a transfer direction of
the target goods. The height information may be, for example, a
layer-number of shelving unit, a coordinate value in a height
direction, or the like.
[0223] S22: Moving the transport robot to a target position
according to the locating information of the target goods.
[0224] In some enibodiments, the locating information of the target
goods includes plane position information and height information.
The moving the transport robot to a target position includes:
moving the transport robot to a position corresponding to the plane
position information; and raising or lowering the carrying
apparatus to a height corresponding to the height information.
[0225] In some embodiments, the moving the transport robot to a
target position further includes: rotating the carrying apparatus
to the transfer direction of the target goods. If the carrying
apparatus can carry the goods only in one direction, the carrying
apparatus is required to be rotated to the transfer direction of
the goods.
[0226] In some embodiments, the chassis of the transport robot may
be moved to the target plane position, and then the carrying
apparatus is raised or lowered to a target height and/or rotated to
a target direction.
[0227] In some other embodiments, the chassis of the transport
robot may also be moved to the target plane position, and the
carrying apparatus is raised or lowered to the target height and/or
rotated to the target direction during the movement of the chassis
of the transport robot.
[0228] S23: Causing a first camera of the transport robot to
attempt to read a preset identifier.
[0229] In some embodiments, the first camera is disposed on the
carrying apparatus and is a two-dimensional camera. Before the
two-dimensional camera reads the preset identifier, the transport
robot first turns on a lighting device to provide a light source
for the two-dimensional camera. The lighting device may be disposed
on the carrying apparatus or at other suitable positions.
[0230] In some embodiments, the preset identifier is a shelving
unit identifier of a shelving unit on which the target goods are
stored. In some other enibodiments, the preset identifier is a
goods identifier on the target goods. The preset identifier may be
a two-dimensional code or any other identifier that can be shot and
read by the first camera.
[0231] S24: Entering an error recovery mode and aborting a task if
the first camera cannot read the preset identifier.
[0232] In some embodiments, if the first camera fails to read the
preset identifier for the first time, the transport robot
repeatedly lifts the carrying apparatus by a preset range, and
causes the first camera to read the preset identifier again during
the lifting of the carrying apparatus. If a number of failures of
reading the preset identifier by the first camera exceeds a preset
threshold, the error recovery mode is entered, the transport robot
reports a result to a server, and the lighting device is turned
off.
[0233] S25: Determining, based on a position relationship between
the transport robot and the preset identifier, whether the carrying
apparatus may directly reach a position of the target goods from a
current position of the transport robot if the first camera
successfully reads the preset identifier.
[0234] In some embodiments, when the first camera reads the preset
identifier, it is further checked whether the preset identifier has
a code lost or is pasted upside down. If the preset identifier has
a code lost or is pasted upside down, a reset mode is entered, and
a result is reported to the server to notify the staff to make
corrections.
[0235] In some embodiments, the determining whether the carrying
apparatus may directly reach the position of the target goods from
a current position of the transport robot may include: determining
whether the chassis of the transport robot is within a preset range
of the preset identifier. If the chassis of the transport robot is
beyond the preset range, it indicates that the carrying apparatus
cannot directly reach the position of the target goods from the
current position of the transport robot, and a chassis position of
the transport robot is required to be adjusted.
[0236] S26: Adjusting the chassis position of the transport robot,
and performing S23 to read the preset identifier again, if it is
determined that the carrying apparatus cannot directly reach the
target goods from the current position of the transport robot.
[0237] S27: Shooting a corresponding position of the target goods
by using a second camera of the transport robot, to obtain posture
information of the target goods including goods size information,
if it is determined that the carrying apparatus may directly reach
the target goods from the current position of the transport
robot.
[0238] In some embodiments, the second camera is disposed on the
carrying apparatus and is a three-dimensional camera such as a
depth camera, a panoramic camera, and the like.
[0239] In some embodiments, the second camera is a camera composed
of two two-dimensional cameras, or other devices capable of
collecting three-dimensional imaging information. For example, in a
specific implementation, a three-dimensional imaging device using a
tune-of-flight method may be adopted. Such a device can detect a
flight (a round-trip) time of the light pulse by transmitting the
light pulse to a target and receiving the light returning from an
object by using a sensor, to obtain a distance between the target
and the object.
[0240] In some embodiments, in addition to the goods size
information, the posture information of the target goods further
includes depth information, angle information, and/or the like of
the target goods relative to the carrying apparatus.
[0241] In some embodiments, after it is determined that the
carrying apparatus may directly reach the target goods from the
current position of the transport robot, it is determined, based on
shooting information of the second camera, whether goods exist at a
corresponding position of the target goods. If it is determined
that goods exist at the position of the target goods, it is further
determined whether the size of the goods is within a size range
that the carrying apparatus can take out. If it is determined that
no goods exist at the corresponding position of the target goods or
the size of the goods exceeds the size range that the carrying
apparatus can take out, the reset mode is entered, and the result
is reported to the server.
[0242] S28: Adjusting a position and posture of the carrying
apparatus according to the posture information of the target
goods.
[0243] Relative positions of the target goods and the carrying
apparatus may be learned according to the posture information of
the target goods, so as to further adjust the position and posture
of the carrying apparatus. In this way, the carrying apparatus can
obtain the target goods along the transfer direction.
[0244] The posture information of the target goods includes goods
size information. The adjusting a position and posture of the
carrying apparatus includes adjusting the spacing between the first
arm portion and the second arm portion of the carrying apparatus
according to the size information of the goods, to adapt to the
size of the target goods.
[0245] In some embodiments, the adjusting a position and posture of
the carrying apparatus further includes: adjusting the chassis
position of the transport: robot, raising or lowering the carrying
apparatus, and/or rotating the carrying apparatus, to align a
specific position of the transport robot to a specific position of
the target goods.
[0246] In some embodiments, the first arm portion and the second
arm portion of the carrying apparatus are both movable arm
portions. The adjusting a position and posture of the carrying
apparatus includes: adjusting the chassis position of the transport
robot, raising or lowering a bracket of the carrying apparatus,
and/or rotating a support frame of the carrying apparatus, to align
a specific position (for example, a middle position) between the
first arm portion and the second arm portion to the specific
position (for example, a central position) of the target goods, and
simultaneously or successively adjusting the first arm portion and
the second arm portion, to cause the spacing between the first arm
portion and the second arm portion to adapt to the size of the
target goods. The adjusted distances of the first arm portion and
the second arm portion may be the same or different.
[0247] In some other embodiments, the first arm portion is a
movable arm portion, and the second arm portion is a fixed arm
portion. The adjusting a position and posture of the carrying
apparatus includes: adjusting the chassis position of the transport
robot, raising or lowering the bracket of carrying apparatus,
and/or rotating the support frame of carrying apparatus within a
preset amplitude range, to cause the first arm portion and one side
edge of the target goods to satisfy a corresponding preset position
relationship (for example, the first aim portion is on an outer
side of the one side edge of the target goods, and a preset spacing
exists between the first ann portion and the side edge), and
adjusting the second arm portion to cause the second arm portion
and an other side edge of the target goods to satisfy the
corresponding preset position relationship (for example, the second
arm portion is on an outer side of the other side edge of the
target goods, and a preset spacing exists between the second arm
portion and the other side edge), so that the spacing between the
first arm portion and the second arm portion adapts to the size of
the target goods.
[0248] S29: Causing the first arm portion and the second arm
portion to take out the target goods at the adjusted spacing.
[0249] After the transport robot adjusts the position and posture
of the carrying apparatus, the carrying apparatus is extended out,
and the first arm portion and the second arm portion take out the
target goods at the adjusted spacing.
[0250] In some embodiments, after the transport robot adjusts the
position and posture of the carrying apparatus, and during the
causing the first arm portion and the second arm portion to take
out the target goods at the adjusted spacing, it may be determined,
for example, by using a sensor disposed on the first arm portion or
the second arm portion or sensors disposed on the first arm portion
and the second arm portion, whether the first arm portion and the
second arm portion collide with the target goods. If it is
determined that the first arm portion and the second arm portion
collide with the target goods, the retrievement task is aborted,
such as stopping or retracting the two arm portions, and a manager
is notified to deal with the situation, or the retrievement task is
terminated, and retrievement of the goods is abandoned. If it is
determined that the first arm portion and the second arm portion do
not collide with the target goods, the goods are taken out.
[0251] In the above embodiment, the three-dimensional camera is
used to shoot the target goods to obtain the size information of
the goods. As an alternative, the size information of the target
goods may be obtained from an external management system of the
transport robot. For example, in some embodiments, a retrievement
instruction received by the transport robot includes the size
information of the target goods. In this way, the size information
of the target goods may be directly obtained from the retrievement
instruction.
[0252] In the above embodiment, the two-dimensional camera is used
to shoot the preset identifier such as the goods identifier, the
shelving unit identifier, or the like, and the three-dimensional
camera is used to shoot the target goods to obtain the size
information of the goods. As an alternative, the preset identifier
is set as an identifier that can be shot and read by the
three-dimensional camera. In this way, in some embodiments, the
transport robot may only be provided with the three-dimensional
camera. That is to say, the first camera and the second camera in
the above embodiments represent the same three-dimensional
camera.
[0253] In the above embodiment, the posture of the carrying
apparatus is adjusted according to the posture information of the
target goods obtained by the three-dimensional camera. FIG. 16 is a
schematic flowchart of a control method for goods retrievement
according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. In this
embodiment, the posture of the carrying apparatus is adjusted
according to a preset identifier on the target goods. Referring to
FIG. 16, the method includes the following steps.
[0254] S31: The transport robot receives a retrievement instruction
and obtains locating information and size information of target
goods.
[0255] The locating information of the target goods may be locating
information of a target shelving unit on which the target goods are
stored.
[0256] In some embodiments, the retrievement instruction may
include identifier information of the target shelving unit. The
transport robot may obtain the locating information of the target
shelving unit by querying the identifier information after
receiving the retrievement instruction.
[0257] In some embodiments, the retrievement instruction may
include the locating information of the target shelving unit, and
the transport robot may directly obtain the locating information of
the target shelving unit from the retrievement instruction.
[0258] S32: Moving the transport robot to a target position
according to the locating information of the target goods.
[0259] In some embodiments, the locating information of the target
goods includes plane position information and height information of
the target shelving unit. The moving the transport robot to a
target position includes: moving the transport robot to a plane
position of the target shelving unit; and raising or lowering the
carrying apparatus to a height of the target shelving unit.
[0260] In some embodiments, the moving the transport robot to a
target position further includes: rotating the carrying apparatus
to a transfer direction of the goods.
[0261] S33: Causing a camera of the transport robot to attempt to
read a shelving unit identifier.
[0262] In some embodiments, the camera is disposed on the carrying
apparatus and is a two-dimensional camera. Before the
two-dimensional camera reads the shelving unit identifier, the
transport robot first turns on a lighting device to provide a light
source for the two-dimensional camera. The lighting device may be
disposed on the carrying apparatus or at other suitable
positions.
[0263] The shelving unit identifier may be a two-dimensional code
or any other identifier that can be shot and read by the
camera.
[0264] S34: Entering an error recovery mode and aborting a task if
the camera cannot read the shelving unit identifier.
[0265] In some embodiments, if the camera fails to read the
shelving unit identifier for the first time, the transport robot
repeatedly lifts the carrying apparatus by a preset range, and
causes the camera to read the shelving unit identifier again during
the lifting of the carrying apparatus. If a number of failures of
reading the shelving unit identifier by the camera exceeds a preset
threshold, the error recovery mode is entered the transport robot
reports a result to a server, and the lighting device is turned
off.
[0266] S35: Determining, based on a position relationship between
the transport robot and the shelving unit identifier, whether the
carrying apparatus may directly reach a position of the target
goods from a current position of the transport robot if the camera
successfully reads the shelving unit identifier.
[0267] In some embodiments, when the camera reads the shelving unit
identifier, it is checked whether the shelving unit identifier has
a code lost or is pasted upside down. If the shelving unit
identifier has a code lost or is pasted upside down, a reset mode
is entered, and a result is reported to the server to notify the
staff to make corrections.
[0268] In some embodiments, the determining whether the carrying
apparatus may reach the position of the target goods from a current
position of the transport robot may include: determining whether
the chassis of the transport robot is within a preset range of the
shelving unit identifier. If the chassis of the transport robot is
beyond the preset range, it indicates that the carrying apparatus
cannot directly reach the position of the target goods from the
current position of the transport robot, and a chassis position of
the transport robot is required to be adjusted.
[0269] S36: Adjusting the chassis position of the transport robot,
and performing S33 to read the shelving unit identifier again, if
it is determined that the carrying apparatus cannot directly reach
the target goods from the current position of the transport
robot.
[0270] S37: If it is determined that the carrying apparatus may
directly reach the target goods from the current position of the
transport robot, the camera shoots and reads the preset identifier
on the target goods.
[0271] S38: Adjusting a position and posture of the carrying
apparatus according to the preset identifier on the target goods
and goods size information.
[0272] In some embodiments, the preset identifier on the target
goods is set at a specific position of the goods (for example, a
central position), and the adjusting a position and posture of the
carrying apparatus includes: adjusting the chassis position of the
transport robot, raising or lowering the carrying apparatus, and/or
rotating the carrying apparatus, to align a specific position of
the transport robot to a specific position of the preset identifier
on the target goods.
[0273] The adjusting a position and posture of the carrying
apparatus further includes: adjusting a spacing between a first arm
portion and a second arm portion of the canying apparatus according
to the goods size information, to adapt to a size of the target
goods.
[0274] S39: Causing the first arm portion and the second ami
portion to take out the target goods at the adjusted spacing.
[0275] After the transport robot adjusts the posture of the
carrying apparatus, the carrying apparatus is extended out, and the
first arm portion and the second arm portion take out the target
goods at the adjusted spacing.
[0276] In some embodiments, after the transport robot adjusts the
posture of the carrying apparatus, and before the carrying
apparatus is extended to take out the goods, it is determined
whether the carrying apparatus will collide with the shelving unit
when being extended out.
[0277] In the above embodiment, the retrievement instruction
received by the transport robot includes the size information of
the target goods, and the transport robot directly obtains the size
information of the target goods from the retrievement instruction.
In some embodiments, the transport robot may also obtain the size
information of the target goods by using the camera to shoot the
target goods.
[0278] FIG. 17 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for
goods retrievement according to another embodiment of the present
disclosure. The method is applicable to the transport robot. The
transport robot has a chassis and the carrying apparatus supported
on the chassis and configured to take out the goods. The carrying
apparatus has a first arm portion and a second arm portion and is
configured to place the goods between the first arm portion and the
second ann portion when retrieving the goods. Referring to FIG. 17,
the method includes the following steps. S41: Receiving a
retrievement instruction, and obtaining locating information of
target goods according to the retrievement instruction.
[0279] S42: Obtaining size information of the target goods and
position relationship information between the carrying apparatus
and the target goods.
[0280] S43: Moving the transport robot to a target position
according to the locating information, the position relationship
information, and the size information of the target goods, and
adjusting a position and posture of the carrying apparatus, where
the adjustment includes at least adjusting a spacing between the
first arm portion and the second arm portion to adapt to a size of
the target goods.
[0281] S44: Causing the first arm portion and the second arm
portion to take out the target goods at the adjusted spacing.
[0282] It ma.y be understood that the control method for goods
retrievement in the present disclosure is not necessarily performed
in the order shown in FIG. 17. For example, some of the information
in S42 may be obtained first, then some of the actions in S43 is
performed, then some other information in S42 is obtained, and some
other actions in S43 is performed. For example, some of the actions
in S43 may be performed first, then the information in S42 is
obtained, and then some other actions in S43 are performed, and so
on, as long as the purpose of the present disclosure can be
achieved.
[0283] In another embodiment, the obtaining size information of the
target goods includes: obtaining the size information of the target
goods by causing the transport robot to acquire image information
of the target goods. The causing the first arm portion and the
second arm portion to take out the target goods at the adjusted
spacing includes: causing the first arm portion and the second arm
portion to extend to a position allowing one of all to-be-retrieved
goods having a largest size in a taken-out direction to be taken
out, to take out the target goods at the adjusted spacing. In this
embodiment, a two-dimensional camera or a three-dimensional camera
may be disposed in the transport robot, and the size information of
the goods is Obtained by using the camera to shoot an identifier
code. In addition, the identifier code is attached to the goods,
and a position relationship between the transport robot arid the
goods is obtained by shooting of the camera. As an alternative,
during movement of the chassis to the target position, the spacing
between the first arm portion and the second arm portion may be
adjusted to a largest value of widths of all of the to-he-retrieved
goods in the warehouse, to save the retrieving time. It may be
understood that when the first ann portion and the second arm
portion are caused to take out the target goods at the adjusted
spacing, it may be determined whether the size information of the
goods in the taken-out direction may be obtained according to the
image information of the goods. If so, the size information is used
to control the extension size of the first arm portion and the
second ann portion for goods retrievement. Otherwise, the first ann
portion and the second arm portion are caused to extend to the
position allowing one of all of the to-be-retrieved goods having
the largest size in the taken-out direction to be taken out.
[0284] In another embodiment, the obtaining size information of the
target goods includes: Obtaining the size information of the target
goods by causing the transport robot to acquire three-dimensional
imaging information of the target goods. The causing the first arm
portion and the second arm portion to take out the target goods at
the adjusted .spacing includes: causing the first arm portion and
the second arm portion to extend by a preset maximum extension size
to take out the target goods at the adjusted spacing. In this
embodiment, a three-dimensional camera may he disposed in the
transport robot, and the size information of the goods may be
obtained by using the three-dimensional camera to shoot. The
identifier code is attached to the goods, and the position
relationship between the transport robot and the goods is obtained
by using the two-dimensional camera to shoot the identifier code.
As an alternative, during movement of the chassis to the target
position, the spacing between the first arm portion and the second
arm portion may be adjusted to a largest value of widths of all of
the to-be-retrieved goods in the warehouse, to save the retrieving
time. It may be understood that when the first arm portion and the
second arm portion are caused to take out the target goods at the
adjusted spacing, it may be determined whether the size information
of the goods in the taken-out direction may be obtained according
to the three-dimensional imaging information of the goods. If so,
the size information is used to control the extension size of the
first arm portion and the second arm portion for goods
retrievement. Otherwise, the first arm portion and the second arm
portion are caused to extend by the preset maximum extension size
for goods retrievement.
[0285] In another embodiment, the obtaining size information of the
target goods includes: obtaining the size information of the target
goods from an external management system of the transport robot.
The obtaining position relationship information between the
carrying apparatus and the target goods includes: obtaining the
position relationship information between the carrying apparatus
and the target goods based on a preset identifier on the target
goods. The moving the transport robot to the target position
according to the locating information, the position relationship
information, and the size information of the target goods, and
adjusting the position and posture of the carrying apparatus
includes: moving the chassis of the transport robot to the target
position according to the locating information and the size
information of the target goods, adjusting the spacing between the
first arm portion and the second arm portion according to the size
information of the target goods during the movement of the chassis
or after the chassis is moved to the target position, and adjusting
the position and posture of the carrying apparatus according to the
position relationship information between the carrying apparatus
and the target goods Obtained based on the preset identifier on the
target goods. In this embodiment, the size information of the
target goods obtained from the external management system may be
wrong, resulting in a failure to take out the goods. Therefore,
during the causing the first arm portion and the second arm portion
to take out the target goods at the adjusted spacing, it may be
determined, by using a sensor disposed on the first ann portion or
the second arm portion or sensors disposed on the first arm portion
and the second aim portion, whether the first arm portion and the
second arm portion collide with the target goods. If it is
determined that the first arm portion and the second arm portion
collide with the target goods, the retrievement task is aborted,
such as stopping or retracting the two arm portions, and a manager
is notified to deal with the situation, or the retrievement task is
terminated, and retrievement of the container is abandoned. If it
is determined that the first arm portion and the second arm portion
do not collide with the target goods, the goods are taken out. In
this embodiment, a three-dimensional camera is not necessarily
disposed, which has the advantage of relatively low costs.
[0286] In another embodiment, the moving the transport robot to the
target position includes: moving the chassis of the transport robot
to the target position, and adjusting the spacing between the first
arm portion and the second arm portion according to prestored size
information of the target goods obtained from an external
management system of the transport robot. The obtaining the size
information of the target goods includes: obtaining actual size
information of the target goods by causing the transport robot to
acquire three-dimensional imaging information of the target goods.
The adjusting a position and posture of the carrying apparatus
includes: determining Whether the actual size information of the
target goods is same as the prestored size information of the
target goods, and if not, readjusting the spacing between the first
arm portion and the second arm portion according to the actual size
information. In this embodiment, a width between the two arm
portions of the carrying apparatus may be adjusted before the
transport robot is moved to the target position, so as to improve
the efficiency of the entire system.
[0287] FIG. 18 is a schematic flowchart of a control method for
goods retrievement according to another embodiment of the present
disclosure. The method is applicable to the transport robot. The
transport robot has a chassis and the carrying apparatus supported
on the chassis and configured to take out the goods. The carrying
apparatus has a first ann portion and a second ann portion and is
configured to place the goods between the first arm portion and the
second arm portion when retrieving the goods. Referring to FIG. 18,
the method includes the following steps.
[0288] S51: Receiving a retrievement instruction, and obtaining
locating information of target goods according to the retrievement
instruction.
[0289] S52: Moving the transport robot to a target position
according to the locating information.
[0290] S53: Obtaining size information of the target goods.
[0291] S54: Obtaining position relationship information between the
carrying apparatus and the target goods.
[0292] S55: Adjusting a position and posture of the carrying
apparatus according to the position relationship information and
the size information of the target goods, where the adjusting a
position and posture of the carrying apparatus includes at least
adjusting a spacing between the first arm portion and the second
arm portion to adapt to a size of the target goods.
[0293] S56: Causing the first arm portion and the second arm
portion to take out the target goods at the adjusted spacing.
[0294] In some embodiments, the obtaining size information of the
target goods includes at least one of the following: obtaining the
size information of the target goods from an external management
system of the transport robot; and obtaining the size information
of the target goods based on sensing of the target goods by the
transport robot.
[0295] In some embodiments, the obtaining size information of the
target goods includes at least one of the following: obtaining the
size information of the target goods from the retrievement
instruction; obtaining the size information of the target goods
based on a preset identifier on the target goods; and obtaining the
size information of the target goods by causing the transport robot
to acquire image information of the target goods.
[0296] In some embodiments, the first arm portion is a movable arm
portion, the second arm portion is a fixed arm portion, and the
adjusting a spacing between the first arm portion and the second
arm portion is achieved by moving the first arm portion.
[0297] In some embodiments, the first arm portion and the second
arm portion are both movable ann portions, and the adjusting a
spacing between the first arm portion and the second arm portion is
achieved by simultaneously or successively moving the first arm
portion and the second arm portion.
[0298] In some embodiments, the carrying apparatus or the transport
robot further has at least one sensing apparatus. The obtaining
position relationship information between the transport robot and
the target goods includes: obtaining the position relationship
information between the transport robot and the target goods based
on first sensed information obtained by the at least one sensing
apparatus by performing an operation on the preset identifier. The
obtaining the size information of the target goods includes:
obtaining the size information of the target goods based on second
sensed information obtained by the at least one sensing apparatus
by performing an operation on the target goods.
[0299] In some embodiments, the carrying apparatus or the transport
robot has two sensing apparatuses. One of the sensing apparatuses
is a two-dimensional camera, an other of the sensing apparatuses is
a three-dimensional camera. The first sensed information is
obtained by the two-dimensional camera, and the second sensed
information is obtained by the three-dimensional camera.
[0300] In some embodiments, the carrying apparatus has only one
two-dimensional camera or only one three-dimensional camera.
[0301] In some embodiments, the preset identifier is a goods
identifier or a locating identifier on the target goods, or a
shelving unit identifier or a locating identifier on the shelving
unit on which the target goods are stored. It may be understood
that the goods identifier of the target goods may be an identifier
code set on a surface of the goods or the container. The identifier
code may be a unique identifier of the goods or the container, or
may be the same identifier as those of other goods or
containers.
[0302] In some embodiments, before the obtaining position
relationship information between the carrying apparatus and the
target goods, the method further includes: determining whether the
target goods exist; and determining whether a size of the target
goods is within a size range that the carrying apparatus can take
out if the target goods exist.
[0303] In some embodiments, the adjusting a position and posture of
the carrying apparatus further includes: aligning a specific
position of the transport robot to a specific position of a preset
identifier on the target goods by performing at least one of the
following: driving the chassis of the transport robot, raising or
lowering the carrying apparatus, or rotating the carrying
apparatus. It may be understood that the preset identifier on the
target goods may be the goods identifier on the target goods or on
the container of the target goods, or may be other locating
identifiers set on the goods or the container.
[0304] In some embodiments, the adjusting a position and posture of
the carrying apparatus further includes: aligning a specific
position of the transport robot to a specific position of the
target goods by performing at least one of the following: driving
the chassis of the transport robot, raising or lowering the
carrying apparatus, or rotating the carrying apparatus.
[0305] In some embodiments, the adjusting a position and posture of
the carrying apparatus includes: aligning a specific position
between the first arm portion and the second an portion to a
specific position of the target goods by performing at least one of
the following: driving the chassis of the transport robot, raising
or lowering the carrying apparatus, or rotating the carrying
apparatus, and simultaneously or successively adjusting the first
arm portion and the second arm portion, to cause the spacing
between the first arm portion and the second arm portion to adapt
to the size of the target goods.
[0306] In some embodiments, the adjusting a position and posture of
the carrying apparatus includes: aligning the first arm portion to
one side edge of the target goods by performing at least one of the
following: driving the chassis of the transport robot, raising or
lowering the carrying apparatus, or rotating the carrying
apparatus, and aligning the second arm portion to an other side
edge of the target goods by adjusting the second arm portion.
[0307] In some embodiments, the moving the transport robot to a
target position includes: moving the chassis of the transport robot
to the target position, and then raising or lowering the carrying
apparatus to a target height and/or rotating the carrying apparatus
to a target direction; or moving the chassis of the transport robot
to the target position, and raising or lowering the carrying
apparatus to a target height and/or rotating the carrying apparatus
to a target direction during the movement of the chassis of the
transport robot.
[0308] In some embodiments, the causing the first arm portion and
the second arm portion to take out the target goods at the adjusted
spacing includes: determining, by using a sensor disposed on the
first arm portion or the second arm portion or sensors disposed on
the first ann portion and the second arm portion, whether the first
arm portion and/or the second arm portion will collide with the
target goods during the goods retrievement by the first arm portion
and the second arm portion, if so, aborting or terminating the
retrievement task, and if not, retrieving the goods.
[0309] In the above embodiments, the goods are retrieved from the
stationary shelving unit by way of example for description. It may
be understood that those skilled in the art can obtain the process
of retrieving the goods from the storage shelving rack 300 from the
above embodiments, and the details will not be described again in
the present disclosure.
[0310] A specific example of the carrying apparatus 100 that can
perform the methods of the above embodiments is provided below. It
may be understood that the present disclosure is not limited
thereto, which may also be implemented by other suitable carrying
apparatuses.
[0311] FIG. 19 is a schematic structural diagram of a state in
which two side arms of a carrying apparatus are far away from each
other according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 20
is a schematic structural diagram of a state in which two side arms
of a carrying apparatus are close to each other according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 19 and FIG.
20, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a carrying
apparatus 100 configured to convey goods along a transfer
direction. The carrying apparatus 100 includes a support frame 110,
two side arms 120, and a transverse driving assembly 130. The two
side arms 120 may be used as the first ann portion and the second
arm portion in the above methods. The support frame 110 extends
along a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction in a
horizontal plane. The two side arms 120 are respectively disposed
on two ends of the support frame 110 in an extending direction. The
two side arms 120 respectively extend along the transfer direction,
and at least one of the side arms 120 is movably disposed on the
support frame 110 along the extending direction of the support
frame 110. The transverse driving assembly 130 is drivingly
connected to the at least one of the side arms 120. The transverse
driving assembly 130 drives the at least one of the side arms 120
to move along the extending direction of the support frame 110, to
cause the two side arms 120 to move close to or away from each
other along the extending direction of the support frame 110, so
that the two side arms 120 adapt to a size of the carried goods
when moving close to each other along the extending direction of
the support flame 110. In the above carrying apparatus 100, the
side arms 120 movable along the extending direction of the support
frame 110 can adjust the distance between the two side arms 120
according to an external size of the goods, and then parts of the
carrying apparatus 100 collaborate with each other to perform the
transfer action. In this way, the adaptability of the carrying
apparatus 100 and the transport robot 10 provided in the present
disclosure to containers of different sizes is greatly enhanced,
thereby effectively improving the efficiency of the goods
transfer.
[0312] The distance between the two side arms 120 along the
extending direction of the support frame 110 is applicable to the
to-be-carried goods when varying within a set range. Optionally,
the two side arms 120 are movably disposed on the support frame 110
along the extending direction of the support frame 110.
Alternatively, only one of the side arms 120 is movably disposed on
the support frame 110 along the extending direction of the support
frame 110, and an other of the side arms 120 is fixedly disposed on
the support frame 110 along the extending direction of the support
frame 110. It is to be noted that the side arm 120 fixedly disposed
on the support frame 110 along the extending direction of the
support frame 110 can move relative to the support frame 110 in
other directions, or is also fixed relative to the support frame
110 in other directions. According to the above two solutions, the
spacing between the two side arms 120 along the extending direction
of the support frame 110 is adjustable. The present disclosure does
not limit a quantity of the side arms 120 movably disposed on the
support frame 110 along the extending direction of the support
frame 110. As shown in FIG. 6 to FIG. 7, in an embodiment of the
present disclosure, the two side arms 120 are respectively a
transverse fixed arm 120a and a transverse movable arm 120b. The
transverse fixed arm 120a is fixedly disposed on one end of the
support frame 110 along the extending direction of the support
frame 110, and the transverse movable arm 120b is movably disposed
on the support frame 110 along the extending, direction of the
support frame 110. The transverse movable arm 120b moves close to
or away from the transverse fixed arm 120a during, the movement
along the extending direction of the support lame 110. This
arrangement ensures that the carrying apparatus 100 has a
relatively simple structure under the premise of adjusting the
spacing between the two side arms 120, thereby ensuring the stable
operation of the carrying apparatus 100 provided in this
embodiment.
[0313] The function of the transverse driving assembly 130 is to
drive the side arm 120 movably disposed along the extending
direction of the support frame 110 to move along the extending
direction of the support frame 110, so that the carrying apparatus
100 adapts to the size of the to-be-carried goods. In a possible
implementation, the transverse driving assembly 130 includes a
transverse power source and a transverse transmission structure. An
output end of the transverse power source is drivingly connected to
an input end of the transverse transmission structure, and an
output end of the transverse transmission structure is fixedly
connected to the transverse movable arm 120b along the extending
direction of the support frame 110. In other implementations, the
transverse driving assembly 130 may include only a power source. An
output end of the power source is directly drivingly connected to
the transverse movable arm 120b, thereby driving the transverse
movable arm 120b to move along the extending direction of the
support frame 110. For example, the transverse driving assembly 130
includes an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a linear motor, or
the like.
[0314] Further, as shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20, the transverse
power source includes a transverse motor 131, and the transverse
transmission structure includes a transverse traction rope 132 and
at least two transverse driving wheels 133. The at least two
transverse driving wheels 133 are spaced apart on the support frame
110 along the extending direction of the support frame 110, and at
least one of the transverse driving wheels 133 is drivingly
connected to an output shaft of the transverse motor 131. The
transverse traction rope 132 is sleeved on the at least two
transverse driving wheels 133, and the transverse traction rope 132
is fixedly connected to the transverse movable arm 120b along the
extending direction of the support frame 110. The at least one of
the transverse driving wheels 133 drives the transverse traction
rope 132 to move during rotation, thereby driving the transverse
movable arm 120b to move along the extending direction of the
support frame 110. The combination of the motor and the driving
wheel has the advantages of high transmission efficiency, easy
control, mature technology, and low costs. Optionally, the output
shaft of the motor is directly drivingly connected to the
transverse driving wheels 133 or drivingly connected to the
transverse driving wheels by using a gear structure. In a possible
implementation, the motor is a stepper motor. In other possible
implementations, the power source is a pneumatic motor or a
hydraulic motor, as long as the transverse driving wheel can be
driven to rotate. Similarly, a combination form of the transverse
traction rope 132 and the transverse driving wheels 133 has the
advantages of a simple structure, stable performance, low costs,
and easy restorage during the driving. Optionally, the transverse
traction rope 132 is a belt or a chain, and the corresponding
transverse chain wheel is a belt pulley or a chain wheel.
[0315] FIG. 21 is a schematic structural diagram of a carrying
apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Further, as shown in FIG. 19 to FIG. 21, the transverse driving
assembly 130 includes two transverse transmission structures. The
two transverse transmission structures are spaced apart on the
support frame 110 along the transfer direction. The transverse
driving assembly 130 further includes a transverse transmission
shaft 134. The output shaft of the transverse motor 131 is
drivingly connected to the transverse transmission shaft 134. The
transverse transmission shaft 134 is drivingly connected to one of
the transverse driving wheels 133 of the two transverse
transmission structures, and the transverse traction ropes 132 of
the two transverse transmission structures are drivingly connected
to the transverse movable arm 120b. The two transverse transmission
structures can respectively drive the transverse movable arm 120b
by different positions on the transverse movable arm 120b. This is
beneficial for the transverse movable arm 120b to be uniformly
stressed during the movement along the extending direction of the
support frame 110, thereby preventing the transverse movable arm
120b from being stuck due to being unevenly stressed during the
movement. In addition, the two transverse transmission structures
are simultaneously driven by the transverse motor 131 by using the
transverse transmission shaft 134, thereby realizing the
synchronous driving of the two transverse transmission structures,
and ensuring the stability of the movement of the transverse
movable arm 120b along the extending direction of the support frame
110.
[0316] FIG. 22 is a schematic structural diagram of a carrying
apparatus according to another embodiment of the present
disclosure. As shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 22, in an embodiment of
the present disclosure, the two side arms 120 are respectively a
first movable arm 120c and a second movable arm 120d. The first
movable arm 120c and the second movable arm 120d are movably
disposed on the support frame 110 along the extending direction of
the support frame 110. The first movable arm 120c and the second
movable arm 120d are respectively drivingly connected to the
transverse driving assembly 130. The transverse driving assembly
130 drives the first movable arm 120c and the second movable ami
120d to move along the extending direction of the support frame
110. In this way, the first movable arm 120c and the second movable
arm 120d move close to or away from each other along the extending
direction of the support frame 110. The first movable arm 120c and
the second movable arm 120d can adapt to the size of the carrying
container when moving close to each other along the extending
direction of the support frame 110. The first movable arm 120c and
the second movable arm 120d are movably disposed, so as to more
efficiently adapt to the containers having different sizes.
Compared with the carrying apparatus in which only one side arm 120
is movable, the carrying apparatus 100 provided in this embodiment
can save half of the adjustment time for adapting to the size of
the container.
[0317] The function of the transverse driving assembly 130 is to
drive the side arm 120 movably disposed along the extending
direction of the support flame 110 to move along the extending
direction of the support frame 110, so that the carrying apparatus
100 adapts to the size of the to-be-carried goods. In a possible
implementation, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 9, the transverse
driving assembly 130 includes a transverse power source and a
transverse transmission structure. An output end of the transverse
power source is drivingly connected to an input end of the
transverse transmission structure, and an output end of the
transverse transmission structure is fixedly connected to the first
movable arm 120c and the second movable arm 120d along the
extending direction of the support frame 110. In other
implementations, the transverse driving assembly 130 may include
only a power source. An output end of the power source is directly
drivingly connected to the first movable arm 120c and the second
movable arm 120d, thereby driving the first movable arm 120c and
the second movable arm 120d to move close to or away from each
other along the extending direction of the support frame 110. For
example, the transverse driving assembly 130 includes one or more
of an air cylinder, a hydraulic cylinder, a linear motor, or the
like.
[0318] Further, as shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 22, the transverse
power source includes a transverse motor 131, and the transverse
transmission structure includes a transverse traction rope 132 and
at least two transverse driving wheels 133. The at least two
transverse driving wheels 133 are spaced apart on the support frame
110 along the extending direction of the support frame 110. At
least one of the transverse driving wheels 133 is drivingly
connected to an output shaft of the transverse motor 131, and the
transverse traction rope 132 is sleeved on the at least two
transverse driving wheels 133. Two sections of the transverse
traction rope 132 wound around the transverse driving wheels 133
are fixedly connected to the first movable arm 120c and the second
movable arm 120d respectively, and at least one of the transverse
driving wheels 133 drives the transverse traction rope 132 to move
during rotation, thereby driving the first movable arm 120c and the
second movable arm 120d to move close to or away from each other
along the extending direction of the support flame 110. The
combination of the motor and the driving wheel has the advantages
of high transmission efficiency, easy control, mature technology,
and low costs. In a possible implementation, the transverse
transmission structure further includes a first connecting block
135 and a second connecting block 136. The first connecting block
135 is fixedly connected to the first movable arm 120c and a
section of the transverse traction rope 132 wound around the
transverse driving wheel 133, and the second connecting block 136
is fixedly connected to the second movable arm 120d and an other
section of the transverse traction rope 132 wound around the
transverse driving wheel 133.
[0319] Optionally, the output shaft of the motor is directly
drivingly connected to the transverse driving wheels or drivingly
connected to the transverse driving wheels by using a gear
structure. In a possible implementation, the motor is a stepper
motor. In other possible implementations, the power source is a
pneumatic motor or a hydraulic motor, as long as the transverse
driving wheel can be driven to rotate. Similarly, a combination
form of the transverse traction rope 132 and the transverse driving
wheels 133 has the advantages of a simple structure, stable
performance, low costs, and easy restorage during the driving.
Optionally, the transverse traction rope is a belt or a chain, and
the corresponding transverse chain wheel is a belt pulley or a
chain wheel.
[0320] Further, as shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 22, the transverse
driving assembly 130 includes two transverse transmission
structures. The two transverse transmission structures are spaced
apart on the support frame 110 along the transfer direction. The
transverse driving assembly 130 further includes a transverse
transmission shaft 134. The output shaft of the transverse motor
131 is drivingly connected to the transverse transmission shaft
134. The transverse transmission shaft 134 is drivingly connected
to one of the transverse driving wheels 133 of the two transverse
transmission structures, and the transverse traction ropes 132 of
the two transverse transmission structures wound around two
sections of the transverse driving wheels 133 are respectively
fixedly connected to the first movable arm 120c and the second
movable arm 120d. The two transverse transmission structures can
respectively drive the first movable arm 120c and the second
movable arm 120d by different positions on the first movable arm
120c and the second movable arm 120d. This is beneficial for the
first movable arm 120c and the second movable arm 120d to be
uniformly stressed during the movement along the extending
direction of the support frame 110, thereby preventing the first
movable arm 120c and the second movable arm 120d from being stuck
due to being unevenly stressed during the movement. In addition,
the two transverse transmission structures are sinmitaneously
driven by the transverse motor 131 by using the transverse
transmission shaft 134, thereby realizing the synchronous driving
of the two transverse transmission structures, and ensuring the
stability of the first movable arm 120c and the second movable arm
120d during the moving close to or away from each other along the
extending direction of the support frame 110.
[0321] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG.
22, the transverse transmission structure includes two transverse
driving wheels 133. The first movable arm 120c and the second
movable arm 120d are symmetrically disposed between the two
transverse driving wheels 133. That is to say, the first movable
arm 120c and the second movable arm 120d respectively move close to
the transverse driving wheels 133 at one end, and the first movable
arm 120c and the second movable arm 120d are at a same distance
from the transverse driving wheels 133 to which the first movable
arm and the second movable arm respectively move close. When and
transverse driving assembly 130 drives the first movable arm 120c
and the second movable arm 120d to move close to or move away from
each other, the first movable arm 120c and the second movable arm
120d are always at a same distance fiom the transverse driving
wheels 133 to which the first movable arm and the second movable
arm respectively move close. The first movable arm 120c and the
second movable arm 120d can simultaneously move to a limiting
position when moving away from each other. The first movable arm
120c and the second movable arm 120d can collide at a midpoint of a
line connecting the two transverse driving wheels 133 when moving
close to each other. The first movable arm 120c and the second
movable arm 120d are symmetrically disposed between the two
transverse driving wheels 133, which ensures a maximum distance
adjustment range between the first movable arm 120c and the second
movable arm 120d. In addition, when the first movable arm 120c and
the second movable arm 120d adapt to the size of the container and
transfer the container, the container can be located in the middle
position of the carrying apparatus 100, which ensures the stability
of the container during the transfer.
[0322] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG.
19 and FIG. 20, the support frame 110 includes a transverse guide
rail 111. The transverse guide rail 111 extends along the extending
direction of the support frame 110, and the side arms 120 movably
disposed on the support frame 110 along the extending direction of
the support frame 110 are movably disposed in the transverse guide
rail 111. The transverse guide rail 111 increases the smoothness of
the movement of the transverse movable arm 120b (the first movable
arm 120c and the second movable arm 120d) along the extending
direction of the support frame 110. Optionally, the transverse
movable arm 120b (the first movable arm 120c and the second movable
arm 120d) and the transverse guide rail 111 are slidably mated,
reliably mated, or mated in other manners capable of implementing
the guiding function. Further, the support frame 110 includes two
transverse guide rails 111. The two transverse guide rails 111 are
disposed in parallel and are spaced apart from each other along the
transfer direction. The two guide rails spaced apart from each
other and in parallel jointly support and guide the side arms 120,
which further increases the smoothness of the movement of the
transverse movable arm 120b (the first movable arm 120c and the
second movable arm 120d) along the extending direction of the
support frame 110.
[0323] FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram of an inner arm section of a
carrying apparatus structure in an extended state according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment of the
present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 21 to FIG. 23, the carrying
apparatus 100 further includes a bracket 140, and the support frame
110 is rotatably disposed on the bracket 140 along an axis in a
vertical direction. The support frame 110 can drive the two side
arms 120 to rotate relative to the bracket 140 along the axis in
the vertical direction. That is to say, when the support frame 110
drives the side arms 120 to rotate, the transfer direction of the
carrying apparatus 100 also changes accordingly. In this way, the
carrying apparatus 100 can rotatably transfer goods to the carrying
apparatus 100 from different directions, or the carrying apparatus
100 can transport the goods toward different directions, thereby
enhancing the adaptability of the carrying apparatus 100 to an
actual working condition. In a possible implementation, the
carrying apparatus 100 further includes a rotary driving assembly
150. The rotary driving assembly 150 includes a chain wheel
transmission structure 151 and a rotary motor 152. The rotary motor
152 drives, by using the chain wheel transmission structure 151,
the support frame 110 to rotate relative to the bracket 140 along
the axis in the vertical direction. Specifically, the support frame
110 is fixedly connected to the chain wheel, and when the rotary
motor 152 drives the chain wheel to drive the support frame 110 to
rotate along the axis in the vertical direction when rotating, and
the rotary motor 152 is mounted to the bracket 140 or the support
frame 110.
[0324] Various parts of the carrying apparatus 100 coordinate and
cooperate to realize the transfer of the goods or the container.
Optionally, the transfer action is directly completed by the side
arms 120 or completed by an additionally disposed telescopic
structure. The present disclosure does not limit the specific
structure of the carrying apparatus 100 that directly performs the
transfer action. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as
shown in FIG. 16 to FIG. 18, the transfer action is directly
completed by the cooperation of the two side arms 120. Each of the
side arms 120 includes an outer arm section 121, an inner arm
section 122, a pusher assembly 123, and a temporary tray 124. The
two outer arm sections 121 are respectively disposed on two ends of
the support frame 110 in the extending direction. At least one of
the outer arm sections 121 is movably disposed on the support frame
110 along the extending direction of the support frame 110. The
temporary tray is fixedly disposed at a bottom of the outer arm
section 121, the two temporary trays are disposed between the two
outer arm sections 121 along the extending direction of the support
frame 110, and the pusher assembly 123 is disposed on the inner arm
section 122. The inner arm section 122 is movably disposed on the
outer arm section 121 along the transfer direction to drive the
pusher assembly 123 to move relative to the temporary tray along
the transfer direction, and the pusher assembly 123 is capable of
pushing out goods on the temporary tray or pulling goods to the
temporary tray during the movement along the transfer direction.
The side arms 120 directly perform the transfer actions, which
simplifies an overall structure of the carrying apparatus 100. In
other embodiments of the present disclosure, the outer arm section
121, the inner arm section 122, the pusher assembly 123, and the
temporary tray 124 may further be directly disposed on the support
frame 110, so as to coordinate with each other to complete the
goods transfer.
[0325] Further, as shown in FIG. 21 to FIG. 23, each of the
sidearms 120 further includes a middle arm section 125. The middle
arm section 125 is mounted between the inner arm section 122 and
the outer arm section 121 and is movable relative to the outer arm
section 121 along the transfer direction, and the inner arm section
122 is movable relative to the middle arm section 125 along the
transfer direction. The side arms 120 further includes an
acceleration assembly. The acceleration assembly includes a movable
pulley and a strop. The movable pulley is mounted to the middle arm
section 125. A middle portion of the strop is bent and sleeved on
the movable pulley, to cause two ends of the strop to be opposite
to each other. One end of the strop is fixedly connected to the
outer arm section 121, and an other end of the strop is fixedly
connected to the inner arm section 122. When the middle arm section
125 moves at a first speed relative to the outer arm section 121
along the transfer direction, the inner arm section 122 moves at a
second speed relative to the outer arm section 121 along the
transfer direction, and the second speed is twice the first speed.
The arrangement of the middle arm section 125 and the acceleration
assembly prolongs the distance of the side arms 120 for
transferring goods along the transfer direction. In addition, the
inner arm section 122 can be extended or retracted at a faster
speed, which improves the efficiency of the carrying apparatus 100
for transferring the goods.
[0326] FIG. 24 is a schematic structural diagram of a movable
pusher in an avoidance position according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure. FIG. 25 is a schematic structural diagram of a
movable pusher in an operating position according to an embodiment
of the present disclosure. In an embodiment of the present
disclosure, as shown in FIG. 23 to FIG. 25, the carrying apparatus
100 further includes an arm section driving assembly 160. The arm
section driving assembly 160 is disposed between the outer arm
section 121 and the middle arm section 125, and is configured to
drive the middle arm section 125 to move relative to the outer arm
section 121 along the transfer direction. The arm section driving
assembly 160 realizes the automatic completion of the transfer
action. In a possible implementation, the arm section driving
assembly 160 includes an arm section motor 161, an arm section
transmission shaft 162, and two arm section chain wheel structures
163. The arm section transmission shaft 162 includes two sections
connected by a spline structure along an axial direction of the ami
section transmission shaft. The two arm section chain wheel
structures 163 are respectively disposed on the two outer arm
sections 121. Output ends of the two arm section chain wheel
structures 163 are fixedly connected to the corresponding middle
arm sections 125 along the transfer direction respectively. Two
ends of the arm section transmission shaft 162 are drivingly
connected to input ends of the two arm section chain wheel
structures 163 respectively, and an output shaft of the arm section
motor 161 is drivingly connected to the arm section transmission
shaft 162. When the arm section motor 161 rotates, the arm section
transmission shaft 162 is driven to rotate, thereby driving the
chain wheel and the chain to rotate. In this way, the chain drives
the pusher assembly 123 to move relative to the temporary tray
along the transfer direction. When the pusher assembly 123 moves
along the transfer direction, the goods on the temporary tray can
be pushed out, or the goods can be pulled to the temporary tray.
When the transverse movable arm 120b moves close to or away from
the transverse fixed arm 120a, the aim section transmission shaft
162 of the spline mechanism can ensure the real-time effective
transmission of the arm section motor 161 and the two arm section
chain wheel structures 163. When the transverse movable arm 120b
moves close to the transverse fixed arm 120a, the arm section
transmission shaft 162 of the spline structure correspondingly
reduces axial dimensions of the arm section transmission shaft.
When the transverse movable arm 120b moves away from the transverse
fixed arm 120a, the arm section transmission shaft 162 of the
spline structure correspondingly increases axial dimensions of the
arm section transmission shaft.
[0327] The function of the pusher assembly 123 is to push out the
goods on the temporary tray along the transfer direction, or pull
the goods to the temporary tray. In an embodiment of the present
disclosure, as shown in FIG. 24 and FIG. 25, the pusher assembly
123 includes a fixed pusher 1231 and a movable pusher 1232. The
movable pusher 1232 is rotatably mounted to an extension end of the
inner arm section 122, and the fixed pusher 1231 is fixedly mounted
to an end of the inner arm section 122 away from the movable pusher
1232. When the pusher assembly 123 extends out relative to the
temporary tray along the transfer direction, the fixed pusher 1231
can push out the goods on the temporary tray along the transfer
direction. When the pusher assembly 123 is retracted relative to
the temporary tray along the transfer direction, the movable pusher
1232 can pull the goods to the temporary tray along the transfer
direction. Further, a rotation plane of the movable pusher 1232 is
perpendicular to the transfer direction, and the movable pusher
1232 has a working position and an avoidance position during the
rotation. When the pusher assembly 123 extends out relative to the
temporary tray along the transfer direction, the movable pusher
1232 rotates to the avoidance position, and the fixed pusher 1231
can push out the goods on the temporary tray along the transfer
direction. When the pusher assembly 123 is retracted relative to
the temporary tray along the transfer direction, the movable pusher
1232 rotates to the working position, and the movable pusher 1232
can pull the goods to the temporary tray along the transfer
direction. In a possible implementation, the movable pusher 1232 is
driven by a movable motor 1233 to rotate. Further, the carrying
apparatus 100 further includes a camera module. The camera module
is configured to acquire image information to detect whether the
two side arms 120 correspond to designated to-be-transferred goods,
and whether the pusher assembly 123 is in contact with the
to-be-transferred goods. The camera module may be, for example, a
two-dimensional camera or a three-dimensional camera.
[0328] In the above carrying apparatus and the transport robot, the
side anus movable along the extending direction of the support
frame can adjust the distance between the two side arms according
to an external size of the goods, and then parts of the carrying
apparatus collaborate with each other to perform the transfer
action. In this way, the adaptability of the carrying apparatus and
the transport robot to containers of different sizes is greatly
enhanced, thereby effectively improving the efficiency of the goods
transfer.
[0329] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a carrying
apparatus configured to convey goods along a transfer direction is
provided. The carrying apparatus includes:
[0330] a support frame, extending along a direction perpendicular
to the transfer direction in a horizontal plane;
[0331] two side arms, respectively disposed on two ends of the
support frame in an extending direction, where the two side arms
extend along the transfer direction, and at least one of the side
arms is movably disposed on the support frame along the extending
direction of the support frame; and
[0332] a transverse driving assembly, drivingly connected to the at
least one of the side arms and configured to drive the at least one
of the side arms to move along the extending direction of the
support frame, to cause the two side arms to move close to or away
from each other along the extending direction of the support frame,
so that the two side arms adapt to a size of the carried goods when
moving close to each other along the extending direction of the
support frame.
[0333] In some embodiments, the two side arms are respectively a
transverse fixed arm and a transverse movable arm. The transverse
fixed arm is fixedly disposed on one end of the support frame along
the extending direction of the support frame, and the transverse
movable arm is movably disposed on the support frame along the
extending direction of the support frame.
[0334] In some embodiments, the transverse driving assembly
includes a transverse power source and a transverse transmission
structure. An output end of the transverse power source is
drivingly connected to an input end of the transverse transmission
structure, and an output end of the transverse transmission
structure is fixedly connected to the transverse movable arm along
the extending direction of the support frame.
[0335] In some embodiments, the transverse power source includes a
transverse motor. The transverse transmission structure includes a
transverse traction rope and at least two transverse driving
wheels. The at least two transverse driving wheels are spaced apart
on the support frame along the extending direction of the support
frame. At least one of the transverse driving wheels is drivingly
connected to an output shaft of the transverse motor. The
transverse traction rope is sleeved on the at least two transverse
driving wheels. The transverse traction rope is fixedly connected
to the transverse movable arm along the extending direction of the
support frame, and the at least one of the transverse driving
wheels drives the transverse traction rope to move during rotation,
thereby driving the transverse movable arm to move along the
extending direction of the support frame.
[0336] In some embodiments, the transverse driving assembly
includes two transverse transmission structures. The two transverse
transmission structures are spaced apart on the support frame along
the transfer direction. The transverse driving assembly further
includes a transverse transmission shaft. The output shaft of the
transverse motor is drivingly connected to the transverse
transmission shaft. The transverse transmission shaft is drivingly
connected to one of the transverse driving wheels of the two
transverse transmission structures, and the transverse traction
ropes of the two transverse transmission structures are drivingly
connected to the transverse movable arm.
[0337] In some embodiments, the two side arms are respectively a
first movable arm and a second movable arm, and the first movable
arm and the second movable arm are movably disposed on the support
frame along, the extending direction of the support frame. The
first movable arm and the second movable arm are drivingly
connected to the transverse driving assembly, and the transverse
driving assembly drives the first movable arm and the second
movable arm to move along the extending direction of the support
frame.
[0338] In some embodiments, the transverse driving assembly
includes a transverse power source and a transverse transmission
structure. The output end of the transverse power source is
drivingly connected to the input end of the transverse transmission
structure, and the output end of the transverse transmission
structure is fixedly connected to the first movable arm and the
second movable arm along the extending direction of the support
frame.
[0339] In some embodiments, the transverse power source includes a
transverse motor, and the transverse transmission structure
includes a transverse traction rope and at least two transverse
driving wheels. The at least two transverse driving wheels are
spaced apart on the support frame along the extending direction of
the support frame. At least one of the transverse driving wheels is
drivingly connected to the output shaft of the transverse motor,
and the transverse traction rope is sleeved on the at least two
transverse driving wheels. Two sections of the transverse traction
rope wound around the transverse driving wheels are fixedly
connected to the first movable arm and the second movable arm
respectively, and at least one of the transverse driving Wheels
drives the transverse traction rope to move during rotation,
thereby driving the first movable arm and the second movable arm to
move close to or away from each other along the extending direction
of the support frame.
[0340] In some embodiments, the transverse driving assembly
includes two transverse transmission structures. The two transverse
transmission structures are spaced apart on the support frame
along, the transfer direction. The transverse driving assembly
further includes a transverse transmission shaft. The output shaft
of the transverse motor is drivingly connected to the transverse
transmission shaft. The transverse transmission shaft is drivingly
connected to one of the transverse driving wheels of the two
transverse transmission structures, and the transverse traction
ropes of the two transverse transmission structures wound around
two sections of the transverse driving wheel are respectively
fixedly connected to the first movable aim and the second movable
arm.
[0341] In some embodiments, the transverse transmission structure
includes two transverse driving wheels, and the first movable arm
and the second movable arm are symmetrically disposed between the
two transverse driving wheels.
[0342] In some embodiments, the carrying apparatus further includes
a bracket, and the support frame is rotatably disposed on the
bracket along an axis in a vertical direction.
[0343] In some embodiments, the carrying apparatus further includes
a rotary driving assembly. The rotary driving assembly includes a
chain wheel transmission structure and a rotary motor, and the
rotary motor drives, by using the chain wheel transmission
structure, the support frame to rotate relative to the bracket
along the axis in the vertical direction.
[0344] In some embodiments, each of the side arms includes an outer
arm section, an inner arm section, a pusher assembly, and a
temporary tray. The two outer arm sections are respectively
disposed on two ends of the support frame in the extending
direction. At least one of the outer arm sections is movably
disposed on the support flame along the extending direction of the
support frame. The temporary tray is fixedly disposed at a bottom
of the outer arm section, the two temporary trays are disposed
between the two outer arm sections along the extending direction of
the support frame, and the pusher assembly is disposed on the inner
arm section. The inner arm section is movably disposed on the outer
arm section along the transfer direction to drive the pusher
assembly to move relative to the teinporary tray along the transfer
direction, and the pusher assembly is capable of pushing out goods
on the temporary tray or pulling goods to the temporary tray during
the movement along the transfer direction.
[0345] In some embodiments, each of the side arms further includes
a middle arm section and an acceleration assembly. The middle arm
section is mounted between the inner arm section and the outer arm
section and is movable relative to the outer arm section along the
transfer direction, and the inner arm section is movable relative
to the middle arm section along the transfer direction. The
acceleration assembly includes a movable pulley and a strop. The
movable pulley is mounted to the middle arm section. A middle
portion of the strop is bent and sleeved on the movable pulley, to
cause two ends of the strop to be opposite to each other. One end
of the strop is fixedly connected to the outer aim section, and an
other end of the strop is fixedly connected to the inner arm
section. When the middle arm section moves at a first speed
relative to the outer arm section along the transfer direction, the
inner arm section moves at a second speed relative to the outer arm
section along the transfer direction, and the second speed is twice
the first speed.
[0346] In some embodiments, the carrying apparatus further includes
an arm section driving assembly. The arm section driving assembly
is disposed between the outer arm section and the middle arm
section, and is configured to drive the middle arm section to move
relative to the outer arm section along the transfer direction. The
arm section driving assembly includes an ann section motor, an arm
section transmission shaft, and two arm section chain wheel
structures. The arm section transmission shaft includes two
sections connected by a spline structure along an axial direction
of the arm section transmission shaft. The two arm section chain
wheel structures are respectively disposed on the two outer arm
sections. Output ends of the two arm section chain wheel structures
are fixedly connected to the corresponding middle arm sections
along the transfer direction respectively, two ends of the arm
section transmission shaft are drivingly connected to input ends of
the two arm section chain wheel structures respectively, and an
output shaft of the arm section motor is drivingly connected to the
arm section transmission shaft.
[0347] In some embodiments, the support frame includes a transverse
guide rail. The transverse guide rail extends along the extending
direction of the support frame, and the side arm movably disposed
on the support frame along the extending direction of the support
frame is movably disposed in the transverse guide rail.
[0348] In some embodiments, the support frame includes two
transverse guide rails, and the two transverse guide rails are
disposed in parallel and are spaced apart from each other along the
transfer direction.
[0349] In some embodiments, the carrying apparatus further includes
a camera module. The camera module is configured to acquire image
information to detect whether the two side arms correspond to
designated to-be-transferred goods.
[0350] A transport robot according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure includes a mobile chassis, a storage shelving rack, a
lifting assembly, and the carrying apparatus. The storage shelving
rack is mounted to the mobile chassis and is provided with a
plurality of storage trays distributed along a vertical direction.
Each of the storage trays is configured to place goods. The
carrying apparatus is configured to transfer the goods between a
stationary shelving unit and any of the storage trays, and the
lifting assembly is configured to drive the carrying apparatus to
move along the vertical direction, to cause the carrying apparatus
to be raised or lowered to a height corresponding to the storage
tray or a height of the stationary shelving unit. When the carrying
apparatus is raised or lowered to the height corresponding to the
storage tray, the carrying apparatus pushes the goods to the
corresponding storage tray along a transfer direction, or the
carrying apparatus pulls the goods located on the corresponding
storage tray out along the transfer direction. When the carrying
apparatus is raised or lowered to the height corresponding to the
stationary shelving unit, the carrying apparatus pushes the goods
to the corresponding stationary shelving unit along the transfer
direction, or the carrying apparatus pulls the goods located on the
corresponding stationary shelving unit out along the transfer
direction.
[0351] Specifically, the storage shelving rack is mounted to the
mobile chassis, the lifting assembly is mounted to the storage
shelving rack, and the lifting assembly is fixedly connected to the
bracket of the carrying apparatus along the vertical direction. In
the above transport robot, the side arms movable along the
extending direction of the support frame can adjust the distance
between the two side arms according to an external size of the
goods, and then parts of the carrying apparatus collaborate with
each other to perform the transfer action. In this way, the
adaptability of the carrying apparatus and the transport robot
provided in the utility model to containers of different sizes is
greatly enhanced.
[0352] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a
control apparatus 500, including: at least one processor 520; and a
memory 510, communicatively connected to the at least one processor
520, the memory 510 storing executable code, the executable code,
when executed by the at least one processor 520, causing the at
least one processor 520 to perform some or all of the methods of
FIG. 15 to FIG. 18. The control apparatus 500 has the same
structure and working principle as the control apparatus 500 in the
embodiment of FIG. 5, and the details will not be described herein
again.
[0353] Finally, it should be noted that: the foregoing embodiments
are merely used for describing the technical solutions of the
present application, but are not intended to limit the present
disclosure. Although the present disclosure is described in detail
with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it should be
appreciated by a person of ordinary skill in the art that,
modifications may still be made to the technical solutions recorded
in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent restorages may be made
to the part of all of the technical features; as long as such
modifications or restorages do not cause the essence of
corresponding technical solutions to depart from the scope of the
technical solutions of the embodiments of the present
disclosure.
* * * * *